The Miami Dolphins dumped Tyreek Hill on Monday afternoon, freeing up over $20 million of salary cap space heading into a busy offseason. If the tea leaves are correct, Tua Tagovailoa could soon follow. But does that mean the Tagovailoa-Tyreek pairing is done for good?
If Tagovailoa is sent packing, the Dolphins would prefer to trade him. However, that seems increasingly unlikely given the Dolphins would have to take on much of the salary owed to him – his cap hit is over $50 million in guaranteed money – to move him in that fashion. The far more likely scenario is that Tagovailoa is released, with the Dolphins saving whatever they can rather than entering the new league year with Tua on their roster. Tagovailoa's market won't be extensive, but there is some overlap in where he and Hill might land.
Tua Tagovailoa should hope the Dolphins release him
The best-case scenario for Tagovailoa is that the Dolphins release him. Tua's money is guaranteed, and on the free-agent market he'd have the ability to choose his next team, rather than Miami pick one for him.
“I don’t know what the future holds right now, and I told Tua that,” GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said (h/tNY Post). “We’re working through some things. What I can tell you is that we’re gonna infuse competition into that room, whether Tua is part of the room, whether he’s not part of the room. We’re gonna infuse competition into that room, like we will do in every other position. Tua knows where we are. We’ve been very honest and upfront, and Tua also knows that he will be the first to know when we make a decision. So if Tua is the first to know, you guys can’t be the first to know, and I know that you respect and appreciate that.”
If Tagovailoa is released, there's no shortage of teams that will at least consider signing him. The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets make the most sense for Tua, if only because they have less to play for in 2026.
Tagovailoa is an ideal bridge quarterback at worst, and at best could return to his 2022 and 2023 form. My money is on the Jets, namely because Tagovailoa would have the opportunity to play in New York on a grand stage and for a team that has spent a lot of time prepping to defend him. They know Tua's game, for better or worse. Aaron Glenn and the Jets will not bring Tagovailoa in unless they have some clue of how to fix him.
How Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa fit on the New York Jets
The Jets have a capable WR1 on the roster already in Garrett Wilson. Pairing Wilson with Hill would give the Jets an electric receiving corps for any quarterback they choose to sign. Hill would serve as an immediate upgrade over the likes of John Metchie III and Josh Reynolds, for example.
If the Jets do pursue their soon-to-be former Dolphins rivals, expect them to pounce on Tagovailoa first. The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and there aren't many good ones available this offseason. Believe it or not, Tua is one of the more proven products in free agency or on the trade market. The NFL Draft doesn't offer much hope beyond Fernando Mendoza, either, and the Raiders are likely to select the Indiana product No. 1.
If Tagovailoa is released, he is free to sign with any NFL team, including the Jets. The potential of Tua remaining in the AFC East is a good argument for the Dolphins to trade him before that happens. But eating that much money would limit their own options in free agency. If Tagovailoa found his way to New York while Hill was still on the market, the Jets would be smart to at least check in. This duo is by no means perfect, but only one quarterback knows Hill's strengths more than Tua, and that's Patrick Mahomes.