The Las Vegas Raiders are about to embark on a multi-year rebuild. The good news is that their salary cap situation is clean, and they own all of their high draft picks.
However, it’s clear that they aren’t going to be good next season, and it might take a few years to fix the franchise. The front office can use that to their advantage. The Miami Dolphins seem to officially be out on Tua Tagovailoa after the decision to bench him for rookie Quinn Ewers.
The problem facing the Dolphins is that Tagovailoa is only in the first year of a four-year, $212 million contract extension. It would be a $99 million dead cap hit to cut him after the season, which would be the biggest in NFL history.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport floated the idea of the Raiders sending Miami a lifeline. In his trade idea, he suggests Las Vegas sends the Dolphins a 2027 sixth-round pick, while the Raiders get Tagovailoa and a 2027 second-round pick.
“This is a full-on Brock Osweiler—a bad team taking on a worse contract and receiving draft compensation in return for doing so,” Davenport wrote. “The Raiders have needs that go well beyond quarterback and can use all the picks they can get. They have the cap space. And they could dump Tagovailoa in 2027 after a year as a “bridge” starter.
“For the Dolphins, it’s one expensive band-aid to tear off. But if Miami wants to trade Tagovailoa without paying even more of his salary to facilitate a deal, this could be what it takes.”
Why This Could Make Sense for Raiders
No Raiders fan on the planet wants the team to take on Tagovailoa and his contract. He hasn’t come close to living up to the hype surrounding him coming out of college. He has had a few solid seasons, but nothing that warrants the contract he’s getting.
Also, he’s struggling with a head coach who is a respected offensive mind. At the same time, the Raiders need draft picks. Overpriced free agent signings aren’t going to fix the franchise.
The best way to build a consistent winner is to find players in the draft. The Dolphins aren’t a great franchise, so there’s a good chance that the 2027 second-round pick is pretty high. It’s not ideal for the Raiders to be giving out lifelines to other teams, but it’s the position they’ve put themselves in due to years of poor decision-making.
Do Dolphins Want to Make This Deal?
Tagovailoa has said stuff in the media that rubbed people the wrong way in the past, but he doesn’t have major character issues. Do the Dolphins really want to give up a second-round pick just to get off his contract?
It’s not like they’re close to being a great team. They need draft picks, too. Getting off that massive contract would feel good, but a second-round pick is also very valuable. The Dolphins’ situation is far from ideal, and they’re going to have a new general manager this offseason. It’ll be interesting to see what they decide to do with the former first-round pick quarterback.
Proposed Trade Has Raiders Land 2nd-Round Pick for Taking on $212 Million Bust