When the Miami Dolphins benched Tua Tagovailoa following their Dec. 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it felt like a turning point. Not just for the season, but possibly for Tagovailoa's future in Miami.
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Now that the season is over, Tagovailoa is not shying away from that reality.
Asked Monday whether he would welcome a fresh start, Tagovailoa did not hesitate.
"That would be dope," he said. "I would be good with it," via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Jackson noted that reporters made sure Tagovailoa understood that a fresh start meant playing somewhere else. Tagovailoa declined to expand on the answer, but the message landed clearly enough.
Miami's direction remains unsettled. Head coach Mike McDaniel has not been fired, though the Dolphins have also offered no public assurance that he will return.
If McDaniel does stay, it is difficult to see Tagovailoa remaining alongside him after the way the season ended. The Dolphins could also decide to move on from both.
The contract situation adds another layer. Tagovailoa is owed $54 million in guaranteed money in 2026. Miami could release him with a post-June one designation at the start of the new league year, spreading his $99.2 million cap hit across two seasons.
On the field, Tagovailoa's production did little to quiet the questions. In fourteen games this season, he completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 1,660 yards, throwing 20 touchdowns against 15 interceptions.
Once viewed as the long-term answer in Miami, Tagovailoa now sounds open to a reset. Whether that reset comes with the Dolphins or somewhere else appears to be one of the franchise's biggest decisions this offseason.
