The Miami Dolphins made the questionable decision to take quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth-overall pick in the 2020 draft.
People were already skeptical of drafting an undersized quarterback with a relatively weak arm, so it didn’t help that his college career was defined by various injuries.
These trends followed Tagovailoa to the NFL, where he was consistently near the bottom of the league in air yards and suffered frequent head injuries, while Justin Herbert, who was taken one pick later, thrived with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Things have been looking grim for him in Miami for a while now, and the two sides finally move on after the Dolphins designated him as a post-June 1 cut today.
Because Tagovailoa had such a massive contract, he will still be paid handsomely this season by his former team, allowing him to take a significant pay cut with any potential suitor in free agency.
Now that we know all the details, let’s take a look at a few teams who could be interested in the former first-round pick.
Indianapolis Colts
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The leadership with the Indianapolis Colts may be trying to save their jobs this season, which could potentially put a Tagovailoa signing on the table.
It’s been reported that the Colts would like to bring back Daniel Jones, who was in the midst of a breakout year before he tore his Achilles, but he will most likely miss the start of the season.
This would allow Tagovailoa to play without the pressure of an entire organization depending on him, and also give him flexibility to take a backseat to Jones at some point and learn from the sidelines.
This may not be the most intriguing option for the former college star, but we’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks revive their careers after sitting on the bench for a while, so it could very well be the best path forward for him.
San Francisco 49ers
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Again, Tagovailoa may not want to sign with a team without the possibility of earning a starting job, but he may have to swallow his pride.
Sam Darnold spent a season learning under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers, which gave him the confidence and ability to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory.
Now, former first-round pick Mac Jones is backing up Brock Purdy, getting to put some solid play on film after the latter dealt with a nagging toe injury this past season, so much so that teams have been calling trying to trade for him.
Obviously, there’s no guarantee that things will shake out this way for Tagovailoa, but there is a clear blueprint to be followed if he wants to get his career back on track, as long as he’s willing to put in some hard work.
Cleveland Browns
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Suffice to say, there may not be many starting options out there for Tagovailoa. If he has his heart set on being on the field for the first game of the regular season, then he should try to earn a contract from the Cleveland Browns.
While it sounds like they are open to fan-favorite quarterback Shedeur Sanders beginning the year as the starter, they don’t have many trustworthy options on the roster.
Tagovailoa is far from a sure thing at this point, but he has a proven track record of thriving if there are enough pieces around him.
The Browns drafted talented running back Quinshon Judkins in the first round last year and fielded one of the best rookie tight ends in the league.
That is a far cry from the track-team receivers Tagovailoa had in Miami, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but there is some potential to be squeezed out of Cleveland’s skill positions.
This would be Tagovailoa’s riskiest option, but also potentially his best choice if he is determined to remain a starter.
