The Tua Tagovailoa era in Miami is all but over.
Following a loss to the Steelers on Monday night that officially eliminated them from postseason contention, the Dolphins have decided to make a major change at quarterback—benching the former first-round pick in Tagovailoa in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The sixth-year pro has put together his worst NFL season to date, throwing for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and a career-high—as well as league-leading—15 interceptions over 14 games while also notching his worst passer rating (88.5) since his rookie campaign.
Despite owing Tagovailoa a whopping $54 million guaranteed in 2026, this move by Miami essentially signals that they’re through with the 27-year-old as their franchise quarterback. They do have some options contract-wise (which you can read about here) to ease the damage, but either way, it's looking like Tua will be under center elsewhere next season.
MORE: Lessons Learned From the Four Worst Quarterback Contracts in Recent NFL History
And so, whether it be via trade or free agency, here are four potential landing spots for Tagovailoa in 2026.
Arizona Cardinals
Speaking of other quarterbacks who need a fresh start, take a look at Kyler Murray. The Cardinals could very well part ways with Murray this offseason after seven years of failing to meet expectations. If they do, Tagovailoa could serve, at the very least, as a stopgap quarterback for 2026.
Swapping one big quarterback contract for another sounds like a salary-cap headache, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. –Tom Dierberger
Indianapolis Colts
Amid an influx of injuries at the quarterback position in 2025, the Colts have gone so far as to lure 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of a half-decade of retirement to limp them through the remainder of the campaign.
Still, after a 7–1 start, it’s clear that Indianapolis has the horses on their roster to have success. Daniel Jones will no longer be under contract in 2026, and will be coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles—so a ninth straight season with a different starting quarterback can't hurt, right? –Mike Kadlick
Las Vegas Raiders
Like both the Dolphins and Cardinals, the Raiders have a quarterback contract problem on their hands. After trading for Geno Smith from the Seahawks this offseason, they signed him to a two-year extension worth up to $85.5 million, including $66.5 million guaranteed. In turn, the 35-year-old has thrown 16 touchdowns to 14 interceptions, notched a lowly 84.5 passer rating, and led Las Vegas to a 2–11 record as their starter.
Long story short, they’re ready for a new signal caller in Sin City. While it may be more likely that they opt for a rookie in the draft, there's also the chance that they swap one highly paid quarterback for another, and once again go with the bridge option. –Kadlick
Minnesota Vikings
Could Kevin O’Connell add another name to his island of misfit QBs? Sam Darnold turned his career around in Minnesota, and Daniel Jones—before his resurgent 2025 campaign—spent a few weeks in the Vikings’ team facility after getting cut by the Giants last year. Heck, even Joshua Dobbs enjoyed a blip of stardom in the Vikings’ offense for a few weeks.
J.J. McCarthy should be the Vikings’ starting quarterback heading into 2026. But he could use more competition in training camp than former undrafted free agent Max Brosmer, who didn’t look ready in his first career start against the Seahawks. The Vikings need a better backup plan to McCarthy next season, and Tagovailoa—if they can work out the complicated contract details—certainly wouldn’t be the worst option. –Dierberger
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Potential Tua Tagovailoa Landing Spots in 2026.