What Latest Detail on Tua's Release Reveals About Dolphins' Cap Situation

The Tua Tagovailoa is almost over for the Miami Dolphins, but there’s one last piece of accounting that needs to be done: Will the team exercise his option bonus?

Well, we got our answer Thursday morning. The team did exercise Tua’s option bonus before designating him as a post-June 1 cut, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported. This means that Tua’s dead cap hit will be spread out a little differently than we thought.

Ultimately, the Dolphins have chosen to give themselves some more breathing room for this upcoming season at a small cost of next season’s cap space.

What Are Tua’s Dead Cap Numbers Now?

With the option bonus exercised, Tua’s dead cap charge for 2026 will be $55.4 million, down from the massive $67 million it would’ve been. While that seems like a total victory, it does come at the cost of his 2027 dead cap number.

Next year, Tua will cost $43.8 million against the cap, which is much higher than the $31.8 million cap charge without exercising his option.

Some fans might not like pushing more money into future years, but in this particular scenario, it’s probably the correct move for Miami.

For starters, the team needs more of an operating budget for this season. They’ve signed a decent number of free agents — all on low-value deals, but they add up — and still have to sign a draft class, a practice squad, UDFAs, and any summer free agents.

They’ll also need money to operate during the season. Injuries happen, and bringing in street free agents costs money.

The other important note is that Tua isn’t the team’s only post-June 1 cut. Edge rusher Bradley Chubb also got that designation this week before signing with the Buffalo Bills.

Because the Dolphins lowered Tua’s dead cap hit by about $11 million, they’ll get to reap the benefits of Chubb’s savings a lot more. Chubb’s cap savings of 20.3 million would’ve been offset by some of the extra money going to Tua.

Now, the Dolphins will get to use most of that money. It won’t hit the books until June 1, but it will cover the team’s draft class, practice squad, UDFAs, and any lower-level summer contracts.

There’s also a solid chance the Dolphins could create more cap space this summer with extensions for players like Jordyn Brooks, Aaron Brewer, and De’Von Achane. That’s something GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has said he wants to consider.

With that in mind, Miami will likely have excess cap space it can roll over into next season. That’s important because it can cancel out some of the extra $12 million of Tua’s dead cap hit.

We won’t know the exact numbers on that for a bit, but from a big picture perspective, it’s the best way for Miami to still operate effectively enough this offseason and not borrow too much from future seasons.

The Dolphins have $104.2 million in effective cap space for next season, according to Over The Cap. Given that, it’s not surprising to see the team dip into it a little early.