Dolphins Release Star Quarterback: 3 Teams That Could Revive Tua Tagovailoa’s Career

With the new NFL league year approaching, several teams could emerge as ideal landing spots for Tua Tagovailoa after his surprising release from the Miami Dolphins.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks to throw in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The new league year officially starts on Wednesday, but for fans, it starts today for the most part, even though deals can't become official yet. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has already been released by the Miami Dolphins despite the massive dead cap hit. While things didn't work out between Tua and the Dolphins, we still expect him to be one of the top free agent quarterbacks on the market. These are the top landing spots for Tagovailoa.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are a competent quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. In 2025, the Seattle Seahawks proved that you can win with an average quarterback and a great team when Sam Darnold helped lead them to a Super Bowl championship. At this point in his career, Tua has had a far more successful career and shown much more upside than Darnold had shown before signing with the Seahawks last season. If you plug Tua into that offensive system with weapons like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, there is no doubt that he can be successful and is a huge upgrade over JJ McCarthy and Carson Wentz.  

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) runs after the catch against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Arizona is in a very similar situation as Miami after moving on from Kyler Murray, who has had a very similar career path as Tua. They are now without a quarterback and could bring in Tua to pair with Marvin Harrison Jr, Trey McBride, and Michael Wilson. Their weapons align well with his skill set. If Tua is looking for a chance to start and prove that he deserves to be a starter in the league, Arizona is as good a spot as any to prove himself.  

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis would be a similar situation to the Vikings, but Tua probably wouldn't be enough to make them legitimate contenders. However, we saw how much success Daniel Jones had there last season, and Tua has been a much better NFL quarterback than Jones. At the halfway point in the season last year, the Colts were the No. 1 seed in the AFC with Jones under center. This one could be tricky, though, because the Colts did slap Jones with the transitional tag. There is a good chance they do what they have to do to bring Jones back, but if he does sign elsewhere, Tua is a viable replacement.