The Miami Dolphins are releasing Tua Tagovailoa, eating an NFL-record $99 million cap hit just to do it. It's an ignoble end to his six seasons in Miami, but it was inevitable to anyone who has watched the Tua roller coaster. Even with an offensive wunderkind like Mike McDaniel hired to bring out his best, Tagovailoa ultimately could never rise above the mediocrity of the Dolphins' infrastructure and his own limitations as a quarterback. Hell, there are still arguments he shouldn't even be playing football with the number of bad concussions he's suffered through his career.
In a statement on the team's behalf, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said "as we move forward, we will be focused on infusing competition across the roster and establishing a strong foundation for this team as we work towards building a sustained winner." About Tagovailoa specifically, he had this to say:
"I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year. As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is. On behalf of the Miami Dolphins, I expressed our gratitude for his many contributions, both on the field and in the community, during his six seasons."
— Jon-Eric Sullivan
Judging from how the last year in Miami went, it is hard to imagine that Tagovailoa will be a hot commodity on the free market. Beyond throwing for an unimpressive 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season, he got himself into a good deal of trouble over his inability to handle the locker room, publicly sharing frustrations with fellow players and coaches that he probably should have kept in house. If his talent was already in question, it won't help that his leadership is now too, and an organization being willing to take a $99 million cap hit just to get rid of you is not inspiring any confidence.
Tagovailoa's best bet is likely the Sam Darnold route. He is still good enough to make for a solid backup, particularly for a great team like the Rams or the Packers or any team coached by a Shanahan disciple. Even more than getting a chance to learn from a well-structured organization, Tagovailoa seems like a guy in desperate need of a reset. A couple years bouncing around the league, aiming for a career re-evaluation down the line, wouldn't be the worst thing. If he can stay healthy, he could still have some quality football left inside him.
