Top trade destination Tua Tagovailoa ends up in the Dolphins bench after an ugly season

Let me say The 2025 NFL season went badly for Tua Tagovailoa would be a huge understatement.

After agreeing to a a whopping $212.4 million extension back in 2024, Tagovailoa watched the Dolphins go on an ugly losing streak that put their playoff chances in serious limbo, with a late four-game winning streak just not enough to overcome a monster deficit. The Dolphins turned in a maddening performance against Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football to officially eliminate themselves from postseason play, and eventually fans will get to see Quinn Evers closes out the regular season under center, and Tagovailo was officially put in by Mike McDaniel.

With his season over prematurely and the Dolphins seemingly turning their attention to a rebuild, having already shipped Jalan Phillips to start the process, fans openly wondered if there was a market for Tagovailoa via trade, or if he would instead remain on the roster in 2026, even if the Dolphins acquired a new signal-calling center that way to test the D20, or D20. in free agency, or via a trade for a player like Spencer Rutler, Kyler Murray or Tanner McKee.

But who could it be? Las Vegas Raiders? They might have the first pick if they can lose to the New York Giants in Week 17. New York Jets? They didn’t trade Sosa Gardner and Quinen Williams to just go 9-8 with a veteran team, but to rebuild themselves. Cleveland Browns or New Orleans Saints? Both drafted quarterbacks last season and likely want to see what they have for an expensive veteran on their bottom-five rosters.

No, unless the Los Angeles Rams have a desperate need to trade Matthew Stafford for one reason or another, there’s only one team with a timeline that makes sense for Tagovailoa, because at this point, they really need to settle on a long-term answer under center after years of stops and starts.

Tua Tagovailoa might be the best KB option available for the Steelers

Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have faced almost constant turnover at the quarterback position.

They tried to draft a local product in Kenny Pickett in the first round who didn’t do much in black and yellow, trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles to be a backup during their Super Bowl run. They tried a proven Super Bowl winner in Russell Wilson and even brought in a young upside player in Justin Fields, neither of whom did enough to earn a new contract in 2025. They even went with the best player to win in Aaron Rodgers, who the team is considering for the playoffs but may not play again next season.

No, unless Mason Rudolph is finally ready to take over as the KB1 in his age-31 season, the Steelers would be wise to finally settle on a long-time player under center now that it’s clear that Mike Tomlin’s reign will last at least another year.

Could it be Tagovailoa? There are certainly worse options.

With a first-round pick surely destined to fall in the 20s, the Steelers’ path to a certified starting quarterback is certainly slim. They could hope Rodgers lasts another season, hope a quarterback like Ty Simpson drops into the 20s, or even buy low for a player like Rattler, Murray or McKee, but none of those options are guaranteed long-term fixes.

Is it Tagovailoa? Well, during his six-year career at the pro level, Tagovailoa won 44 of the 76 games he appeared in and led the NFL in multiple categories, including completion percentage, yards and KB rate. While some of that might have to do with playing in McDaniel’s scheme, his play-calling has been anything but consistent, ranging from generationally prolific to downright questionable for seemingly no reason. Tagovailoa has injury concerns, of course, with his concussions leading some to wonder if he could retire early, but he’s still one of the winningest quarterbacks of his era, with the Dolphins struggling to do anything consistently when he’s not under center.

For a Steelers team that has dealt with inconsistency for the past half-decade, adding a player like Tagovailoa, who doesn’t turn 28 until March, could finally give them a long-term answer they can build around center for the next few seasons.

Assuming the Dolphins are willing to take a discount on Tagovailo, both in terms of draft capital and holding money to facilitate a clean break, Pittsburgh could be one of the few teams willing to truly go all-in on the former Alabama quarterback, securing the kind of quarterback since his pro career Stay Ben hasn’t called home.