The future is uncertain for Tua Tagovailoa.
The Miami Dolphins are benching Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, according to reports.
Ewers is set to start Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The change comes a day after head coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged Miami’s quarterback play was “not good enough” in Monday night’s 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and that “everything’s on the table.”
Tagovailoa completed 22-of-28 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in that loss, but the Dolphins trailed, 28-3, before two fourth-quarter TDs made the score more respectable.
The loss eliminated Miami (6-8) from playoff contention.
For the season, Tagovailoa has 20 touchdown passes with an NFL-high 15 interceptions and is averaging only 190.0 passing yards per game.
Tagovailoa — the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft — is in his sixth NFL season. He is in the middle of a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension that he signed in July 2024.
Moving on from Tagovailoa would come with significant salary-cap implications, as he is guaranteed $54 million in 2026. Releasing Tagovailoa this offseason would leave the Dolphins with $99 million in dead money through 2027, according to ESPN.
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who is out for the season with a knee injury, appeared to react to Tagovailoa’s benching by posting a short video of a man flashing a peace sign and then disappearing.
Ewers, 22, led the Texas Longhorns to back-to-back berths in the College Football Playoff in 2024-25 before the Dolphins drafted him with the No. 231 pick last spring.
He completed 23-of-43 passes for two touchdowns and did not throw an interception in three preseason games.
Ewers gets the nod over Zach Wilson, whom the Dolphins signed to a one-year, $6 million contract in the offseason.
Wilson, whom the Jets’ drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2021, has not started a game since his disappointing tenure in East Rutherford ended after the 2023 season.
RISE OF RODGERS
Another former Jets quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is on the verge of a playoff berth with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh (8-6) leads the AFC North by a game over the Baltimore Ravens (7-7) with three games remaining.
A return to the postseason is far from guaranteed, as Pittsburgh still has to face the Detroit Lions (8-6) on the road and the Ravens at home.
But this season is going better for Rodgers than any point of his two-year tenure with the Jets, who released him in March under new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.
“There’s some castoffs if you look at our roster, which makes it really special,” Rodgers, 42, said after Monday’s win over Miami.
“Kenny Gainwell signed a next-to-nothing contract. Connor Heyward, an afterthought, had a touchdown run. Marquez [Valdes-Scantling] has been on a couple teams. Adam Thielen got cut. [Asante] Samuel [Jr.] was on the street for a long time. So says a lot about the character of the guys we brought in.”
Asked if he gives himself that same label, Rodgers replied matter-of-factly, “No, I’m not a castoff.”
With the Jets, Rodgers missed all but four offensive snaps due to an Achilles tear in 2023, then went 5-12 last season.
But Rodgers has 22 touchdown passes against seven interceptions this season and could return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Without him, the Jets are 3-11.
MORE ON MAHOMES
Travis Kelce hasn’t said much about his own future, but he has little doubt about Patrick Mahomes’ in the wake of a devastating knee injury.
“He’s a fearless, fearless warrior when it comes to this football thing,” Kelce said on Wednesday’s episode of his “New Heights” podcast.
“He’s gonna make sure he comes back stronger than ever. Hopefully, the Chiefs can get him back as soon as possible.”
Mahomes suffered a left ACL tear in Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and underwent surgery a day later. NFL Media reported the quarterback tore the LCL in his knee, too, complicating his recovery.
But because Mahomes underwent surgery so soon after the injury, he has a chance to be back by Week 1 of the 2026 season, which is about nine months away.
Whether Kelce will still be with the Chiefs by then remains to be determined. Kelce, 36, has publicly contemplated retirement, and Kansas City (6-8) could look much different next season after missing the playoffs this year.
LOTS TO LOVE
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love declared for the NFL Draft, as expected.
He is the top prospect on some draft boards and could be the latest star running back to buck recent positional trends and be selected within the top 10.
As a junior this year, Love ran for 1,372 yards, scored 18 rushing touchdowns and totaled 21 TDs. He ranked within the top five among Division I players in all three categories.
Notre Dame did not make the College Football Playoff — much to its chagrin — and declined to play in a non-playoff bowl game.
That means Love’s illustrious Notre Dame career has officially come to an end.
