Dolphins' official dead money for Tua Tagovailoa revealed after $99.2 million cut
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Dolphins' official dead money for Tua Tagovailoa revealed after $99.2 million cut originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Miami Dolphins have cut ties with multiple veterans this offseason. Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb are two big cuts, and Minkah Fitzpatrick being traded to the New York Jets was another big veteran departure.
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But nothing was as big or as impactful as the release of Tua Tagovailoa. He was released by the Dolphins with a post-June 1 designation, but the exact financials of his release weren't known.
Initially, it was reported he would carry a $67 million dead cap charge in 2026 from his $99.2 million dead cap hit upon release. But, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the true financial impact of Tagovailoa's release is a bit different from what was initially reported.
Dolphins' official dead money from Tua Tagovailoa release revealed
"Some news, per source," Jackson reports, "The Dolphins exercised Tua's 2026 option bonus prior to his release. So his dead cap charge on Dolphins 2026 books will be $55.4M (as opposed to $67M). His dead cap charge will be $43.8M in 2027. Gives Dolphins a lot more flexibility beginning June 2."
This is a significant change for the Dolphins, as the initial reporting had Miami taking on a massive $67 million in dead cap space for the 2026 NFL season with Tagovailoa's release.
Instead, the Dolphins are exercising an option bonus as part of Tagovailoa's release to save a bit more money this offseason, going from a $67 million cap charge down to $55.4 million charge for the 2026 books.
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What this move means for the Dolphins is that, instead of taking on more money in 2026, they are spreading out the damage a bit more to gain a bit more flexibility in 2026.
With a lot of available cap space on the 2027 books for Miami, pushing more of Tagovailoa's mammoth $99.2 million dead cap charge into the future is not a bad idea.
This is a smart move from the Dolphins, and should help in constructing a roster for 2026 to build around Malik Willis and company in Miami.
More Dolphins news:
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- Dolphins trade Minkah Fitzpatrick to Jets for late round pick
- Tua Tagovailoa will have $60+ million cap hit for Dolphins in 2026