Falcons pick up Tua Tagovailoa after Dolphins release QB

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa is out. Malik Willis is in. Just like that, the Miami Dolphins are starting anew at quarterback.

Tagovailoa — the Hawaii native and the franchise’s primary starter for the last 5 1/2 seasons — will be released, the Dolphins said Monday, a move that will result in an NFL-record $99 million dead cap hit.

It didn’t take long for the Saint Louis School alumnus to find a new home. After being informed the Dolphins were going to release him, Tagovailoa and the Atlanta Falcons agreed on a one-year deal, a person with knowledge of the quarterback’s contract told the Associated Press.

The Falcons also agreed on a two-year contract with wide receiver Jahan Dotson, according to a person with knowledge of that deal.

Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contracts can’t be finalized until the new league year begins on Wednesday.

Tagovailoa and Dotson will join a Falcons team that has undergone a significant leadership overhaul following an 8-9 season. 

The team also has some level of uncertainty at quarterback after Michael Penix Jr. suffered a torn ACL in November. He is expected to be sidelined through the start of the season, giving Tagovailoa a potential opportunity to prove himself early.

Tagovailoa will join an offense with first-team AP All-Pro Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, whom the team recently retained on the franchise tag.

Tagovailoa also will have Dotson as a target. Dotson will be receiving $15 million, including $10 million guaranteed over two years, according to one of the people. A 2022 first-round draft pick by Washington, Dotson was part of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl championship team in 2024. He has averaged 33 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns in his four NFL seasons.

After Tagovailoa and his representation were informed by Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan that the team was going in a new direction at quarterback, the West Oahu native thanked the Dolphins in a goodbye post on social media.

In his place: Willis, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no deal has been completed. Willis has dazzling numbers, albeit in a very small sample size.

Aside from his scrutinized health from multiple concussions, it was the biggest career setback for the left-handed prodigy from West Oahu who starred at Saint Louis and the University of Alabama. The Dolphins made Tagovailoa the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and entrusted him to turn around a franchise that still does not have a playoff victory since 2000. Miami went 0-2 in playoff games in Tagovailoa’s tenure.

Willis will be reuniting with Sullivan and new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley. The trio were all together in Green Bay, a team with whom Willis — widely considered among the top quarterbacks in this free agent class — completed 70 of 89 passes in three games over the last two seasons, throwing for 972 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

The league year starts Wednesday afternoon. If the Tagovailoa move is designated as a post-June 1 release, the $99 million is split over two years, with about two-thirds on this year’s cap and the remaining third in 2027.

Tagovailoa went 44-32 as Miami’s starter, dealt with concussions on multiple occasions and at times was a lightning rod for critics. Over the last five seasons — not counting his first year when he wasn’t the full-time starter yet — Tagovailoa completed 68.6% of his passes, second only to Joe Burrow over that span, while ranking 11th leaguewide in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

At times, it was good. In the end, it just wasn’t always good enough. Tagovailoa reacted to Monday’s announcement on social media, thanking the Dolphins “for six unbelievable years.”

“From the moment I arrived, you believed in me, supported me, and embraced my family as your own,” Tagovailoa wrote. “I was able to marry my wife and welcome both my kids to this world. … Wearing this jersey and representing this city has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”

He also expressed disappointment that he couldn’t deliver that long-awaited playoff breakthrough for the team and its fans.

“I also carry deep regret that I couldn’t get the job done and bring a championship home to this city,” Tagovailoa said. “Miami deserves that, and I’ll always wish I could have delivered it for you.”

It’s the latest, and certainly one of the most significant, moves in this offseason of rebuilding and change for the Dolphins. Big names like receiver Tyreek Hill and pass rusher Bradley Chubb aren’t being brought back. Another move came Monday when the Dolphins agreed to trade safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The biggest question left was the one at quarterback, and if Tagovailoa would get another shot.

It was finally answered Monday.

A trade or release had been somewhat expected after Tagovailoa, drafted fifth overall in 2020, was benched by former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel toward the end of last season because of poor play. Tagovailoa at the time said he wasn’t happy with the decision and wasn’t sure what his future with the team would look like.

Tagovailoa was demoted for rookie Quinn Ewers with three games remaining last season, a clear signal that his six-year run with the Dolphins might be coming to an end. Tagovailoa, who turned 28 earlier this month, led the league in passing yards in 2023 with a career-best 29 passing touchdowns, but he never quite replicated that form.

He threw a career-high 15 interceptions last season.

“I would say the biggest thing, and it’s being honest with myself as well, had been my performance,” Tagovailoa said after being benched. “I haven’t been performing up to the level and the capabilities that I have in the past.”

The dead cap hit tops the previous record of $85 million that the Denver Broncos took for releasing Russell Wilson in 2024.

Willis figures to become the franchise’s 28th different starter since Dan Marino’s final season in 1999. Tagovailoa made 76 starts with Miami, second-most in that span behind Ryan Tannehill’s 88.

Tagovailoa was drafted by the Dolphins to be their franchise quarterback after winning a national championship during a successful college career at Alabama.

But the quarterback struggled on the field his first two seasons under former Miami coach Brian Flores and was benched several times as a rookie, resulting in a constant cycle of rumors on whether the Dolphins — who have the NFL’s longest playoff win drought, at a quarter-century and counting — would stick with Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins fired Flores and replaced him with McDaniel for the 2022 season, and McDaniel developed and outwardly supported Tagovailoa during the coach’s four years in Miami.

But with McDaniel gone, and a new regime in, the time was evidently right for Miami to start over at quarterback yet again.

And the Willis era will soon be underway.

“As I prepare for the next chapter, I move forward with gratitude, faith, and memories I’ll cherish for a lifetime,” Tagovailoa wrote. “South Florida will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Note: This story has been updated with information on Tua Tagovailoa’s new deal with the Atlanta Falcons.