Mike McDaniel has every right to retain his job if the ailing Miami Dolphins ignite even the smallest of sparks to finish this season strong. That said, it shouldn’t save Tua Tagovailoa’s starting job. If Miami thinks putting lipstick on this pig will lead to a reinvigorated Tagovailoa next season, he would have successfully bamboozled them.
Miami has already reached its peak with Tagovailoa. They don’t have a playoff win since he’s taken over the starting role and have just two playoff appearances. He’s an injury liability to boot, and he's not playing at an All-Pro level, good enough to lead Miami to January success. (We’ll leave his replacement for another story.)
For now, Miami shouldn’t entertain bringing Tagovailoa back. Just like Arizona is realizing they aren’t better with Kyler Murray, Miami has to move on from Tagovailoa if they want to be a contender in the AFC (again).
Miami can’t make the same mistake twice with Tua Tagovailoa
If Miami was smart, they should use a turnaround leverage to drive up Tagovailoa’s price for an offseason trade. With all the teams looking to upgrade from their current quarterback situation, a late-season surge would work so much better for his trade value than running it back next season with him.
Bringing Tagovailoa back to Miami and expecting something different would only set the Dolphins up for failure — especially with a new GM, who may not feel obligated to keep Tagovailoa around. The new general manager and McDaniel will have to decide together on the new direction of the team — assuming McDaniel comes back after a strong finish to 2025 — and they have to agree that Tagovailoa isn’t the answer.
Tagovailoa wasn’t necessarily McDaniel’s choice after he took the job a year into his tenure. While he was an intriguing prospect to develop, it just hasn’t panned out like the team hoped. As a result, they have to decide to move on, and that means realizing that Tagovailoa needs a new team to possibly reach his full potential.
This season, Tagovailoa has been extremely disappointing, throwing interceptions in four of the last five games (and at least two interceptions in three of those). This offense has struggled to look like the threat we all thought it would be when McDaniel joined forces with Tagovailoa, and that falls on the quarterback.
Miami needs to turn things around quickly as the New England Patriots have surpassed them and the Buffalo Bills are still in their championship window. The Dolphins can’t continue to fall into the depths of the AFC, and that starts with a quarterback change.
Tua Tagovailoa could learn from the path’s Daniel Jones, Sam Darnold too to stardom
I’m not sure what the perfect landing spot is for Tagovailoa, but it’s clear he’s already reached his ceiling in Miami. I think a team like San Francisco or Los Angeles would be good for him. Not only would he have a veteran quarterback ahead of him, but he’d get the chance to play at some point with either team.
The most important thing is both of those coaches have proven track records of developing quarterbacks, and the most important thing for Tagovailoa is to be in an environment that could actually help him grow. He should take the same path Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold did and be patient.
Though he could ultimately yield a big return with a strong finish this year, he has to land with a team that will need him but also allow him to grow. Minnesota is another situation that could work out for him, especially if J.J. McCarthy continues to struggle through his first full NFL season.
It feels like no matter what happens, Tagovailoa’s time in Miami has to be done. If it’s not, Miami is kidding themselves thinking Tagovailoa will save them. If he does land with a new team this offseason, he needs a low-pressure situation that would let him grow and a coach and system that he can thrive in.