The Miami Dolphins may try to trade Tua Tagovailoa, and they have been linked to trading with an AFC East rival.
Considering the Miami Dolphins are on the hook for $54 million in guaranteed money for Tua Tagovailoa, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan may try his luck at trying to trade the former starting quarterback.
The issue with trading Tagovailoa is that the Dolphins would undoubtedly have to incur a good majority of that guaranteed money and potentially add a player or draft capital to sweeten the deal. The good news is there are many teams in need of a new passer, and one is in the AFC East.
Miami isn't the only team that will need to make a change in their quarterback room, as the New York Jets are also without a starter for the 2026 season. Justin Fields did not pan out, and expect the team to want a fresh start.
That said, the Jets could become the perfect partner to trade with the Dolphins for Tagovailoa. While that might sound like a wild idea for many reasons, the trade was proposed by PFF writer Bradley Locker.
"Tagovailoa underwhelmed in a big way last season, leading the league with a 5.4% turnover-worthy play rate and being benched after Week 15. At the same time, he’ll be 28 during the 2026 campaign and flashed with an 88.6 PFF passing grade in 2023. His talent is still evident, as reflected in games last year against the Panthers and Falcons.
"With the Jets bringing in Frank Reich as their new offensive coordinator, landing an accurate quarterback who can attack horizontally seems most logical for his West Coast scheme — and Tagovailoa has proven capable of that throughout his career. As Glenn’s and general manager Darren Mougey’s seats continue to warm, the team can’t be passive in fixing an offense that ranked 30th in passing EPA per play last year. Tagovailoa’s $56 million cap hit is tough to swallow, but it should also make him easier to acquire — especially if Miami can incur some of his salary," Locker wrote.
There are some roadblocks for this trade to occur. First, would the Jets want to take another swing at a quarterback that may or may not work out?
To be fair, Tagovailoa has had more success than Fields, and the 2025 season was an outlier in the grand scheme of things. New York needs a quarterback, and they could showcase some leverage in the situation by getting a good price on the Dolphins quarterback.
The other aspect of this trade to think about refers to how Tagovailoa has played in cold-weather climates. Would taking him out of South Florida and putting him in the frigid cold be the smartest decision?
Any team taking on Tagovailoa is accepting a good amount of risk, but he did lead the league in passing yards, passer rating, and completion percentage.
New York may believe they can unlock whatever held Tagovailoa down in 2025, and the Dolphins dumping the remainder of his contract would be a win-win.