Getty Image / Megan Briggs
This past season, the Miami Dolphins made their first playoff appearance since 2016.
Most would expect that to mean they are going to spend this offseason trying to continue building on the roster that got them into the playoffs.
That may not be the case.
Instead, they may find themselves looking for a new quarterback.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Dolphins are currently exploring all of their options at quarterback this offseason even after Tua Tagovailoa had the best season of his career in 2022.
I’m told multiple people have been made aware within the #Dolphins organization that the team will explore all options at quarterback, per league source–this as the decision continues to linger on a long-term deal and the 5th-year option on Tua Tagovailoa. pic.twitter.com/c6Os0hdL7h
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 3, 2023
It has been rare for Tua Tagovailoa to have the support of the Miami Dolphins throughout his NFL career.
In his 2nd year in the league, he spent most of the season dealing with rumors that the Dolphins were trying to trade him for Deshaun Watson even as Watson dealt with off-field issues and nobody was sure what the future held for him.
The trade never came and the team reportedly ended up picking Tua over their head coach. That decision looked like it was going to pay off during Tua’s 3rd season in the league.
Before he began dealing with concussion issues, Tua was in the MVP conversation thanks to a monster performance in a huge comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens.
Even with the concussion issues, Tua was able to set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns and helped the Dolphins reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
As the team’s starter in 2022, Tua had an 8-5 record and he was on pace for over 4600 yards and 32 touchdowns. Those numbers would have put him in the top 5 in the league in both categories.
Despite that, the Dolphins are now once again considering possibly moving on from Tua while they could still get 2 more years out of him while paying way below market value for a quarterback at his talent level.
The real question is what exactly their plan would be to replace him.
Maybe they get an early 1st round pick in this year’s draft for him. Even if they do, whatever quarterback they draft being as good as Tua was this year is far from a guarantee.
They could just turn down his 5th year and let him play out his contract, but then they won’t be in position to draft a quarterback next season.
Maybe they trade him for a bunch of future picks that they package with their own 2024 1st to move up to pick 1 for Caleb Williams next year. Maybe that works out, but they’d be wasting a playoff roster for a couple of years.
If Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy, the Miami Dolphins have a franchise quarterback. They should stop looking for a different one.