Andrew Buller-Russ
The Miami Dolphins have a new general manager and head coach. Soon enough, they’ll have to come together to help determine who the next starting quarterback will be, or whether they’ll give Tua Tagovailoa a chance to bounce back after throwing a career-high 15 interceptions.
Tagovailoa’s $54 million salary is already guaranteed for 2026, but some speculation suggests the Dolphins may prefer to just release him and take an NFL record $99 million cap hit that erases the rest of his contract years from their future cap sheet.
The Dolphins could turn to Tagovailoa again, or they could find a free agent quarterback, such as Malik Willis, who has ties to the new regime. Miami could also trade for another QB to take over Jeff Hafley’s team.
Or, maybe the Dolphins’ next franchise quarterback is already on the team, but not Tagovailoa.
Recently, Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline reported that new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is a “big fan” of quarterback Quinn Ewers.
“Bobby Slowik, who was elevated from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator, is a big fan of Quinn Ewers, who did a solid job starting in place of Tagovailoa during the final three games of the season,” Pauline wrote. “If the Dolphins can’t afford to bring in a coveted veteran, a source tells me the likely plan includes using Ewers as the starter in 2026 and signing an inexpensive backup, such as Jimmy Garoppolo.”
The Dolphins made Ewers the 231st overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Once viewed as a potential first-round pick, Ewers fell to the seventh round before the Dolphins took a chance on him.
However, when it was time to evaluate other quarterbacks late in the season, the Dolphins didn’t turn to former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson; they wanted to see what Ewers was capable of instead. The 22-year-old ended up starting three games for the Dolphins, completing a respectable 66.3% of his passes for 622 yards, 3 TDs, and 3 interceptions.
Now, if the Dolphins can’t find another proven starter, the job could very well wind up in the hands of Ewers in 2026.
Related: NFL Insider Offers Wide Range for Malik Willis Contract Projection
