The drumbeat around Mike McDaniel’s future has grown louder after Miami’s 2-7 start, but one factor could buy him time. As discussed on The Rich Eisen Show, Tua Tagovailoa’s four-year, $212.4 million extension, with more than 50 million fully guaranteed in 2026, makes the job far less attractive to outside candidates, which creates a plausible scenario where the Dolphins keep McDaniel and run it back with Tua for one more season while a new front office reshapes the roster.
From there, Ian Rapoport outlined on NFL.com how Miami could navigate a “viable” path on Tua if performance does not rebound. Tagovailoa leads the league with 11 interceptions, and although he found his highest ceiling under McDaniel, the team is on the hook for 57 million next year.
Rapoport detailed three options Miami will weigh this offseason: continue with Tua as the 2026 guarantees approach, execute a prohibitively expensive release that would rival the Russell Wilson precedent, or facilitate a trade by paying down a portion of his 2025 money to place him as a bridge starter for a team grooming a young quarterback. In a pre-June 1 trade, Miami would carry 45.2 million in dead cap, which is painful but more manageable than an outright cut.
Rapoport also reported this week on how open the interim front office might be to broader moves before the deadline. With Chris Grier out, the phone lines are open. Calls on Jaylen Waddle have been entertained, not encouraged, and any deal would require a massive return given his age and production.
There is significant interest in edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, with different cap profiles that affect price. The expectation is at least one move before Tuesday, possibly more, as Miami recalibrates both the cap table and its 2026 posture.
Miami’s quarterback room behind Tua is part of the calculus. Zach Wilson has resumed the No. 2 role with 33 career starts, while seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers has impressed enough to be Tua’s primary backup for a game and continues to trend up in practice. A benching is not the plan, but Rapoport made clear it is not off the table if the slide continues.
In the most recent home loss that dropped Miami to 2-7, Tua acknowledged how loud Ravens fans were at Hard Rock Stadium. Per David Furones of the Sun Sentinel, he linked an early Larry Borom false start to crowd noise from Baltimore supporters in Miami, a striking admission that underscored how quickly the home-field edge has eroded.
