Should Tua stay or should he go?

[CF DolFan]

I see fans arguing this all over the place. In my opinion, we have to get rid of him and start anew. He would be too much of a distraction so even if we have to pay most of his salary, we need to ship him off or cut him outright. Maybe not on purpose but players choose sides, as well as fans and coaches. We don't need any more drama on this team for quite a while.

[Downunder Dolphan]

I see fans arguing this all over the place. In my opinion, we have to get rid of him and start anew. He would be too much of a distraction so even if we have to pay most of his salary, we need to ship him off or cut him outright. Maybe not on purpose but players choose sides, as well as fans and coaches. We don't need any more drama on this team for quite a while.

This may sound cold, but on the monetary side it's probably best that Miami keeps him for the 2026 season and never lets him see the field (so if there is something like a rumored $20M injury clause, it's never triggered). Then cut him before the 2027 season.

Tua's going to get paid regardless, but if the team is better off to the tune of something like $45M keeping him on the list, it's better than letting him go.

He gamed us and got overpaid. Everyone knows the score. If Tua doesn't like it and tries to be a distraction, he can be locked out of the building, told to piss off and count his money. If that means his career is effectively over, too bad.

[Sibster]

This may sound cold, but on the monetary side it's probably best that Miami keeps him for the 2026 season and never lets him see the field (so if there is something like a rumored $20M injury clause, it's never triggered). Then cut him before the 2027 season.

Tua's going to get paid regardless, but if the team is better off to the tune of something like $45M keeping him on the list, it's better than letting him go.

He gamed us and got overpaid. Everyone knows the score. If Tua doesn't like it and tries to be a distraction, he can be locked out of the building, told to piss off and count his money. If that means his career is effectively over, too bad.

Tua is not the type of guy who would become a locker room cancer if something like that were to happen.   Making him the #2 QB is probably the smart thing to do.

[CF DolFan]

Tua is not the type of guy who would become a locker room cancer if something like that were to happen.   Making him the #2 QB is probably the smart thing to do.

I don't think he would either, but I think it is natural for people to pick sides. If he is not there, that doesn't ever become an issue. He is a polarizing person in general. Just read any fan site's Facebook posts and you will see people who still think he was given a raw deal fighting against people who have given up on him. The same thing would most likely happen in the locker room.

[Dave Gray]

I think that if you can unload him, you do.  I don't think it's good for a team to have the previous star QB riding the bench until he is eventually cut.  It keeps everyone from moving on.  It might be a financial impossibility, but if you can find someone who can use him more than we can, you facilitate that.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think that if you can unload him, you do.  I don't think it's good for a team to have the previous star QB riding the bench until he is eventually cut.  It keeps everyone from moving on.  It might be a financial impossibility, but if you can find someone who can use him more than we can, you facilitate that.

I think the only way a team trades for Tua is: Tua + 1st round pick for a 7th round pick to a team with a shitload of cap space.  I don't recall who but there was a trade like that a few years ago. 

[Dave Gray]

I wouldn't want to trade a pick (and I don't think we'd need to) but I think we can offer to pay part of the salary.

Some team will lose their QB in the first 4 weeks of the season and a 2 year Tua contract will work for them.

[Spider-Dan]

I think the only way a team trades for Tua is: Tua + 1st round pick for a 7th round pick to a team with a shitload of cap space.  I don't recall who but there was a trade like that a few years ago.

HOU traded Brock Osweiler + 2nd + 6th to CLE for a 4th.  CLE cut him before the start of the season.

[Downunder Dolphan]

HOU traded Brock Osweiler + 2nd + 6th to CLE for a 4th.  CLE cut him before the start of the season.

The Jared Goff trade to the Lions by the Rams along with multiple #1 picks for Stafford was at the time seen as a massive salary dump, as much as play to get Stafford.

As it turned out, it was a great move for both teams... although the Rams already had a lot of other key game-changers already in place, and the team was kept relatively intact by the move. They also had a pretty good recent history of drafting talent.

Miami doesn't have that luxury - we are looking at a larger rebuild, and need every quality draft pick we can get our hands on. The full $99M dead cap hit for Tua - over 1 or 2 years, it doesn't really matter - paired with the additional hit we will cop from cutting Tyreek (and what we're already carrying from Ramsey) is going to be a recipe for disaster. There will be no money to keep anyone, let alone sign anyone else.

[Downunder Dolphan]

There are many riding with "the vibe" (look up the Australian film The Castle for my reference) that we should just cut Tua and wear the full $99M cap hit (along with all the other cap hits) and tank it to rebuild again... except we just don't have the draft bounty of the Tunsil trade, or existing cap space, and enough talent depth on our existing list to deal with that.

We had all of that once upon a time ago, and Grier pissed it all away (with a good amount of assistance from McDaniel). If you wanna know who dug us this gigantic hole we're trying to climb the way out of for (at least) the next two years... those are first the two names to start with.

The thing is though... if we REALLY suck next season, the new regime may not even survive that. If we load up on dead money by cutting Tua on top of everything else, there is the the real potential of that happening. If you thought 2007 was bad, it may be only foreplay for a franchise with little existing talent PLUS no salary cap and decent draft picks to address how bad the list is.

Then it's reboot all over again in 12 months, with no clue if it will be on the way up.

Happy days (for Hoodie).   

[CF DolFan]

If we finish at the bottom, we will likely get our franchise QB. That's a heck of a head start in the right direction even without the extra picks.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

There are many riding with "the vibe" (look up the Australian film The Castle for my reference) that we should just cut Tua and wear the full $99M cap hit (along with all the other cap hits) and tank it to rebuild again... except we just don't have the draft bounty of the Tunsil trade, or existing cap space, and enough talent depth on our existing list to deal with that.

We had all of that once upon a time ago, and Grier pissed it all away (with a good amount of assistance from McDaniel). If you wanna know who dug us this gigantic hole we're trying to climb the way out of for (at least) the next two years... those are first the two names to start with.

The thing is though... if we REALLY suck next season, the new regime may not even survive that. If we load up on dead money by cutting Tua on top of everything else, there is the the real potential of that happening. If you thought 2007 was bad, it may be only foreplay for a franchise with little existing talent PLUS no salary cap and decent draft picks to address how bad the list is.

Then it's reboot all over again in 12 months, with no clue if it will be on the way up.

Happy days (for Hoodie).   

*IF* cut Tua (and anyone else who is overpaid), trade away for picks anyone with trade value, let anyone that will get you a compensatory pick walk, fill in the roster with min salary UDFA, go 0-17 and fire Jeff Hafley --- you won't be back in the same situation.  You will have a new coach, a decent salary cap situation and the first overall pick.  These are the elements that allow for a turnaround.  And its not like anyone is all that excited for Jeff Hafley.  He was a consolation prize for losing the Harbough lottery.   

[Pappy13]

He should not be on the roster in 2026 no matter how you do it. The last thing that the starter is going to need is one bad game and the fans and media clamoring to start Tua. 2026 is a rebuilding year no matter how you slice it, so you may as well let the starting QB get some experience whomever that is. Personally I think Ewers is the perfect QB for this scenario. He's had plenty of success in his career, you're not going to destroy his confidence with a bad season especially when he knows that he doesn't have the team around him to compete. He did well enough in his first 3 starts to think that with a full off season and an offense designed around his abilities he will play well enough to win some games. Let him grow into a leadership position on the team. I'm not saying he's the long term starter, but I think he can be what you need for 2026 and possibly he grows into more than that.

Miami isn't as bad as everyone thinks they are. They won 7 games last year and that was with one of the worst defenses the first half of the season. Add a few more pieces defensively. Continue to build up from the trenches. Run the ball. Stop the run. Control the clock to prevent games from getting out of hand. I think the Dolphins can win about the same number of games next year as they did this year that way. Maybe go 6-11 or 7-10 again or something along those lines. That will be fine for 2026. Then we'll see where we can go from there. We don't need Tua for that and I don't care if it will save a little bit of cash, that's not as important as getting a fresh start without him.

[Spider-Dan]

If we finish at the bottom, we will likely get our franchise QB.

Tanking doesn't work.

I don't understand how people who spent a solid year screaming to Tank For Tua are still insisting that losing a bunch of games is going to solve the problem.

[Sibster]

Tanking doesn't work.

I don't understand how people who spent a solid year screaming to Tank For Tua are still insisting that losing a bunch of games is going to solve the problem.

The NBA has a draft lottery in place to discourage tanking.   The NFL should do the same.