The future of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is far from clear.

Six years on from being drafted fifth overall by the Dolphins in 2020, the former Alabama quarterback’s situation is unclear going into the 2026 NFL season.

In his six seasons in the NFL, Tagovailoa has recorded 18,166 passing yards, 120 passing touchdowns and 59 interceptions. This stat line does not read too bad, but this does not paint half of the picture.

Whilst he has played 78 games, 76 of these as a starter, he has also missed 21 games and only had one full season.

Tagovailoa’s one full season came in 2023 as the Dolphins went 11-6, when he led the league in passing yards (4,624) and threw for 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

As a result, the Dolphins gave him a $212.4 million, four-year extension. However, 10 of these 21 games missed have happened since signing the deal and the team have gone 12-13.
Tua has also been regularly criticised for a lack of wins against teams with .500 records or better, or games below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The team are now on their third head coach since Tua’s arrival at the team in Jeff Hafley. The former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator was announced as Mike McDaniel’s replacement earlier this year and the signs indicate that he and new General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan are likely to move on.

Despite this, TalkSPORT have reported that the Dolphins are considering a $99.2 million cap hit to move on from Tagovailoa, one of the largest in NFL history.

It leads to a lot of uncertainty as to whether they will want to take this hit or wait to see if any team will be happy to take on this deal.

Here are the five best landings spot for Tagovailoa in 2026.

Whilst the future of Tagovailoa is uncertain in Miami, the future of Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals is also unclear.

There has been plenty of talk of a straight swap between the Cardinals and Dolphins as both teams look to start afresh at the quarterback position.

With a supporting cast of Marvin Harrison, Trey McBride and Michael Wilson to throw to, the prospect of playing for the Cardinals may really appeal to Tagovailoa.

This is the best possible situation Tagovailoa could land himself in.

With Matthew Stafford confirming his intentions to remain playing for the Los Angeles Rams whilst at the NFL Honors, this would give Tagovailoa the chance to sit behind and take a breather just as Sam Darnold did at the San Francisco 49ers behind Brock Purdy.

Not only would he learn from a Super Bowl champion, but he would also be playing under head coach Sean McVay, one of the best in the league in his role.

Add in a young and exciting supporting cast of Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua, Tagovailoa would be playing in one of the best offensive set ups a quarterback could hope for and a team many are predicting to win the NFC next season.

Behind an offensive line that has been ranked the best this season by Pro Football Network (https://www.profootballnetwork.com/best-offensive-lines-nfl-rankings/), Tua would be a fool to say no to this situation.

The two stumbling blocks would be whether McVay would trust Tagovailoa and whether they would want to pay a backup that much, especially when they are due to pay a lot of their stars on rookie deals within the next two to three years.

The end to Jared Goff’s time in LA an example of how McVay can lose patience with a quarterback, but if he believes in Tua’s talent then he and general manager Les Sneed may feel like a risk is worth taking.

There is a world where Tagovailoa is the starter for the Dolphins in 2026.

New Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik is already familiar with Tagovailoa, serving as the Dolphins’ senior passing game coordinator in the 2025 season.

The last time Tagovailoa was on a contract year, he had his best season. Under Hafley and Slowik, there is a possibility that this could be a duo that revitalises his Dolphins career.

The signs indicate that the future of Miami is without Tagaovailoa, but there is always a chance that he remains within the organisation.

Whilst the Rams presents the best team to go to, the Minnesota Vikings might be the best place to develop Tagovailoa’s talent.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has fast developed a reputation for developing quarterbacks.

He guided Kirk Cousins to one of his best seasons, if not his greatest, as well as seeing a brief linsanity run with Joshua Dobbs.

Darnold had his breakout year under O’Connell’s tenure and Tagovailoa could be the next quarterback to improve in Minnesota.

He would be able to throw to one of the best wide receiver duos in the league in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but a reunion with defensive coordinator and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores could be the ultimate deal killer.

Should Flores and Tua rectify their differences, then this could be a relationship that works.

The Pittsburgh Steelers define the word “functional organisation”.

Whilst they have had no playoff win since January 2017, not made a Super Bowl since the 2010 season and not won one since the 2008 season, they have been a constant figure of consistency.

They have not had a losing season since 2003 and Mike Tomlin failed to have one during his entire 19 years in the role.

The chance to play in a stable organisation would likely appeal to Tua.

Andy Davies

Tua Tagovailoa- best five landing spots for 2026

CHECK OUT OUR SOCIALS DOWN BELOW:

@THEFRANCHISETAGPOD