The Miami Dolphins have officially announced that they will part ways with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. While the team’s preference was to trade the quarterback in hopes of some salary cap relief, they were likely unable to find a trade partner as the Dolphins will release their former Pro Bowl quarterback.
His release will end a six-year tenure with the Dolphins, in which Miami had a winning record four times and made the postseason twice. His Dolphins career peaked in 2023,when he was selected for the Pro Bowl and led the NFL in passing yards as Miami made their second consecutive postseason appearance.
Now, an NFC team will hope to be able to rekindle that version of Tagovailoa as it pursues the former Dolphins quarterback.
Falcons Pursuing Former Miami Dolphins Quarterback
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Atlanta Falcons are making a strong push to sign Tagovailoa, and that a deal could come together soon. He then added on X, “The Falcons are building their offense for lefty Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from ACL surgery. Now lefty Tua Tagovailoa appears poised to join him in Atlanta on a minimum deal.”
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix suffered a season-ending ACL tear during the team’s Week 11 game against the Carolina Panthers last year. It marked the third ACL tear the quarterback has had, as he had two in his college career. While Penix expects to be ready for Week 1, the Falcons will want to have a plan B if he fails to meet that expectation.
Tagovailoa, on a minimum deal, would be among the top backups in the NFL, as he has 76 games of experience as an NFL starter with the Dolphins, and three seasons where he posted a passer rating of over 100. Additionally, Tagovailoa had success against the Falcons during the 2025 season. In their Week 8 matchup, Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns in a blowout Dolphins victory. It marked Tagovailoa’s last four-touchdown game as a member of the Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins Quarterbacks
Once Tagovailoa is off the Dolphins’ roster, Miami will have only two quarterbacks on the team. Quinn Ewers, who replaced Tagovailoa for the final three games of the 2025 season, and Cam Miller remain on the roster.
Depending on how free agency goes, and what Miami’s plan is, Ewers could figure into the starting job as Miami’s offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has praised the player. Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline reported that, “If the Dolphins can’t afford to bring in a coveted veteran, a source tells me the likely plan includes using Ewers as the starter in 2026 and signing an inexpensive backup, such as Jimmy Garoppolo.”
There are not many coveted veterans available on the open market, and the most popular name Miami has been getting linked to is Malik Willis, who may exceed their price range. Miami is in a difficult cap situation, as evidenced by the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade to the New York Jets, and entering a bidding war for a quarterback while in the middle of a rebuild may be difficult for the Dolphins.
Ex-Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa ‘Poised to Join’ NFC Team