Examining the Latest in the Dolphins Quarterback Room

The Miami Dolphins almost certainly will have a much different look at the position next season

Miami Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson (0) looks to throw a pass against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins quarterback room has been expected to have a new look next season ever since Mike McDaniel was fied and Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley were brought in from Green Bay to get the franchise back on the right track.

And the idea has only accelerated over the past couple of weeks.

One of the key moments arrived Friday when Zach Wilson's contract officially voided, according to Spotrac, which followed Sullivan's statements about Tua Tagovailoa and the QB situation in general during a fan event at the Baptist Health Training Complex on Thursday night.

WILSON'S SHORT STAY

When the Dolphins signed Wilson in free agency last year after his one year with the Denver Broncos, they structured the former second overall pick's $6 million guaranteed contract so as to spread the cap hits over two years so as to minimize the cap hit in 2025 and keep it down to $2.2 million.

The result is the Dolphins now will have $3.8 million of cap space in 2026 devoted to a player who no longer will be on the roster, better known as dead cap space.

Wilson now will become a free agent, but because it comes after a void year and not a normal contract running out, he's not eligible to be a compensatory free agent.

The Dolphins conceivably could re-sign him if they so choose and Wilson wanted to return, but there has been absolutely nothing to suggest that's a direction Sullivan wants to travel and it's also hard to imagine Wilson wanting to return after being bypassed by Quinn Ewers after the Dolphins benched Tagovailoa late last season.

For $6 million, Wilson ended up appearing in four games in 2025 and completed 6 of 11 passes.

SULLIVAN TACKLES TUA QUESTIONS

The fan event Thursday night was for season ticket members and they were given the opportunity to ask Sullivan and Hafley some questions, and not shockingly one involved Tua's status and future with the team and whether the Dolphins would be looking at other quarterbacks in the draft.

“Of course, we’ll be looking at other quarterbacks in this draft,” Sullivan said. “And every draft hereafter. But, look, I’ve had — Tua was in my office the other day, if I’m being perfectly frank. We had a great conversation. Tua has been a very good player in this league. He’s done a lot of really good things for the Miami Dolphins. You guys should be proud to have him and having had him.

When asked about Tua’s future with the Dolphins ..

Jon-Eric Sullivan’s answer 👀 👇🏼#phinsup pic.twitter.com/bRaYtMzD9J

— 305 Sports Babe ❣️ (@305sportsbabe) February 13, 2026

“I don’t know what the future holds right now, and I told Tua that. 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.

“But we’re getting close to a decision. And when we do, we’ll let Tua know whether he’s gonna be part of this or not, and we’ll move forward. But you can rest assured that we will add competition to that room, one way or the other, to make it the best that we can.”

It doesn't require a ton of reading between the lines here to suggest the Dolphins indeed will be moving on from Tagovailoa, just like it's pretty obvious the team would prefer going the trade route and even might be willing to pay off some of his salary to make it a more attractive proposition for another team.

The Dolphins currently have four quarterbacks on their roster, with Ewers and Cam Miller the other two besides Tua and Wilson.

If Sullivan goes through with his declaration, then there likely will be a third who would be a rookie and then we could expect a veteran (cough ... Malik ... cough ... Willis) as the fourth.

That's going to wait, though.

By the start of the new league year, if not sooner, there already should be some changes to that quarterback room.