Tua Tagovailoa was viewed as a strong candidate to win the NFL MVP award with the Miami Dolphins each of the past two seasons. Head coach Mike McDaniel has placed Tagovailoa in a QB-friendly offense, surrounded by stars such as Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Related: See where Kirk Cousins and Tua Tagovailoa land in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings
The recent changes to Miami’s offensive structure helped Tagovailoa’s Dolphins have the second-highest-scoring offense in the NFL in 2023. Despite their success, all anyone remembers now is Miami’s tough 26-7 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card round.
Tagovailoa faced plenty of criticism following the Dolphins’ loss, with some suggesting he’s not worth a long-term contract, and that Miami should consider other options at quarterback over the offseason.
Is signing Kirk Cousins and trading Tua Tagovailoa realistic for Miami Dolphins?
Now, an NFL insider is taking things a step further by suggesting the Miami Dolphins should consider trading Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, and he identifies Kirk Cousins as the ideal replacement.
Specifically, Mike Sando of The Athletic discusses whether the Dolphins would be better off trading Tagovailoa now, before he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season. Sando says, in this scenario, the “most palatable” solution would be to trade Tua and sign Cousins.
“Trade Tua, sign Cousins: The equation here is that Cousins and a draft pick (or picks) would be better than continuing with Tagovailoa. The Dolphins do not have third- or fourth-round picks in the upcoming draft, so they could use the capital. Cousins, a free agent in March, would have to prioritize Miami as his preferred landing spot, which seemingly would be easy for him, given what the Dolphins offer in terms of McDaniel’s personality, the scheme and weaponry.”
The Athletic’s Mike Sando on Miami Dolphins’ QB situation
An unnamed NFL executive seemed to agree with Sando and offered this take:
“Your upside with Tua certainly seems limited,” an exec said, “so let’s say you can trade him. I would be exploring, ‘OK, Tua, we can win games with, probably not winning a championship with. Kirk Cousins, we can win games with, probably not winning a championship with. But our resources are better spent on Cousins plus draft picks than they are on just Tua.”
“If you like Cousins and you can sign him to a three- or four-year deal and you can trade Tua for a couple of draft picks, that to me is a different type of path forward,” the first exec said. “I don’t know if it is the best one. You really have to be in that building to know, but if you are looking for alternatives, there is a pretty good one.”
Anonymous NFL executive
Another executive who was asked to comment on the situation offered more, including what Tagovailoa’s trade value may be.
“If you could get a 2 and a 3 for Tua and sign Kirk, I’d want to make sure I felt comfortable about having him for three years from a health standpoint,” a different exec said. “I do think Tua works much better in a domed stadium where you know half your games are played in pristine conditions.”
Cold weather struggles aside, it’s hard to imagine any scenario that sees the Dolphins move off from a soon-to-be 26-year-old franchise QB for one who turns 36 in August, even if Cousins has previous experience working with McDaniel from their days in Washington.
Related: Some Within Vikings Organization Eyeing Trade-Up for Justin Jefferson Friendly QB in NFL Draft