The Miami Dolphins are actively shopping starting QB Tua Tagovailoa after six years and two regime chances with him as the starting QB. One team is reportedly interested in landing him, but they seem to have a pretty notable condition.
Tua is owed a whopping $54 million in 2026, which is fully guaranteed. It would also cost the Dolphins nearly $100 million in cap space to cut him.
NFL teams are well aware of this and at least one seems willing to take Tua off their hands, if the Dolphins will sweeten the pot. According to CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones, an NFL executive has will consider trading for Tua if the Dolphins will send over a first-round pick to mitigate the impact of his contract.
"One high-ranking team executive told CBS Sports he had considered taking on Tagovailoa if the Dolphins would send a first-round pick to take on the freight of his contract," Jones wrote.
Can it be done?
It wouldn't be the first time that a team has essentially paid another team to take a struggling, overpaid QB off their hands.
Back in 2017, the Houston Texans did exactly that, giving the Cleveland Browns a second-round pick and a sixth-round pick along with then-QB Brock Osweiler. The Texans only got a fourth-round pick in exchange, but also a ton of cap relief.
More recently, the Los Angeles Rams traded an extra first-round pick to the Detroit Lions along with Jared Goff as part of the Matthew Stafford trade in 2021. Though in that case, the deal seemed to work out great for both sides.
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The Dolphins would probably be reluctant to an Osweiler or Stafford-Goff trade given how many needs they have heading into free agency. But if they're that desperate to move off of Tua Tagovailoa, they might need to sacrifice the short-term to prepare for the long-term.
Miami enter the 2026 season with Jeff Hafley as their new head coach with Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new GM. Both of them will want a clean slate and a chance to rebuild the organization quickly, and as they envision it.
