I'm not an NFL finance guy, so I was wondering what would happen if we went into the next pre-season with the intention of trading Tua, there was zero interest, and he ultimately decided to retire? What happens with his contract at that point? I'm convinced that he's done with football due to the hip (or something similar limiting his movements). He could ride the bench for two seasons to collect almost $100M...which would be great reason to stay. But I have a feeling that he's not the type of person to milk a franchise to the point of setting them back years. Could there be a retirement settlement or something? I'm genuinely curious how that works. I do remember with the Colts and Manning, they continued to pay him after he retired with the neck injury...but it seems like they did that voluntarily.
Yeah, there is zero way, imo, that Tua signed that contract thinking he was physically in great shape.
Tua would never retire with that amount of money owed. His agent has already had all the conversations with him since the benching. Theyre going to ride it out and get every guaranteed dollar owed. The reality is, there is two options available right now. either Tua is going to be an expensive backup for one more season like Kirk Cousins was for the Falcons… that way the dolphins can cut Chubb, Tyreek and move on.. Or the dolphins give tyreek and chubb one more season and proceed with moving on from Tua. i have huge doubts they move on from all 3. That would be the biggest dead cap bill in history by lightyears regardless of which way they go, tua most likely has at most a single season left on the dolphins
From the Dolphins perspective, were he to retire, the cap implications would be exactly the same as cutting him. 99m in dead money in 2026, which wrecks the salary cap. From Tua's perspective, it would mean giving up a 15m option bonus that he's due at the start of the league year, and then 39m in salary. And so I think its obviously in his best interest to have his people try and work out a trade somewhere that's processed after June 1, even if the Dolphins get next to nothing in return, where he goes to another team and makes that cash this year, and is essentially a no risk option for that team for two more seasons. Probably somewhere that needs a bridge QB, not a long term answer. Most likely, the Dolphins would need to eat some of that 39m in the form of a bonus to make it happen.
The real question is whether Miami has to package a second rounder plus Tua in exchange for a seventh rounder to some team with lots of cap space?
Let me make sure I understand. If Tua retires, he doesn't get paid (year's start bonus + any future salary) but we still get the salary cap hit? If that's what you're saying, then we'd better hope he doesn't retire. The only paths forward are keep him or trade him.
Terrible that there is so much money involved for all 3 and we're likely to see nothing come of it. Whomever they hire as GM has got their work piled high.
My guess would be all prorated bonus money comes due. Since it would be post June 1, split between 26 and 27. My other guess is, his retirement would be better for us
Yes, because of the dead money from his previous bonus that's currently prorated over multiple years. It all hits at once.
Okay, I thought I had a clear answer...but now I'm lost again. So we gave him a hefty bonus when he signed his contract (or since then) but we didn't give him all the money yet. Because it's in the past, that's money spent regardless and it will count on future years. What if we just paid him the remainder of the bonus this year? I thought bonuses don't count against the current year's cap? Or maybe I'm missing something here. For instance, when we paid Tyreek a few years ago to lower his salary, we converted it to a bonus and the money magically reappeared on the cap sheet. Can't we do that?
This is from ChatGPT If Tua Tagovailoa were to retire, the Miami Dolphins’ salary cap impact depends heavily on how and why he retires — and whether he’s medically cleared or not. Here’s how it generally breaks down according to contract experts and salary cap analysts: Key Contract Context Tua signed a four-year, ~$212.4 million extension with Miami. His contract includes roughly $167 million in guarantees, much of which is injury-related. If Tua Voluntarily Retires (medically cleared) He would forfeit the remaining injury guarantees and future salaries. Voluntary retirement while medically cleared typically means the player gives up future guaranteed pay beyond what’s already paid out (and what he’s already received like signing bonus). For Tua, that means he’d not get the remaining guaranteed money in his contract (beyond what’s already paid). Salary cap impact in this scenario: The Dolphins would accelerate the remaining prorated portions of his signing bonus/guaranteed money onto the cap in the year he’s placed on the reserve/retired list. Depending on timing and NFL/CBA rules, that accelerated cap charge is likely much smaller than cutting him — essentially just the un-amortized bonus amounts. One specific projection suggested if retirement occurs after June 1, the cap charge could be something like ~$8–$25 million against 2025/2026, consisting mostly of accelerated bonus proration. So in voluntary retirement, the Dolphins avoid the huge dead cap burdens associated with releasing him — and would likely absorb only the remaining prorated bonus figures. If Tua Medically Retires (forced due to injury/health) Because much of Tua’s contract is injury-guaranteed, if doctors determine he cannot continue playing due to medical reasons, he would be entitled to the remaining guaranteed money (potentially ~$124 million more beyond what’s already paid). Salary cap impact: That remaining guaranteed money could be owed and counted against the Dolphins’ cap, but teams typically spread those obligations over the life of the contract or negotiate settlements/insurance recoveries — meaning the cap hit would likely be spread out rather than a single massive charge. The specifics vary based on NFL rules and agreements between player and club. In Contrast: Cutting vs. Retirement Just for comparison, if Miami cuts Tua instead of him retiring: A pre-June 1 cut could produce a ~$99 million dead cap hit in 2026 — a record-level cap charge. A post-June 1 cut lets the Dolphins spread dead money (e.g., ~$67 million in 2026 and ~$31 million in 2027). A trade before June 1 still leaves ~$45 million of dead cap. These scenarios are among the most expensive possible if he’s not retiring. Retirement generally costs Miami much less cap space because they don’t have to pay future salaries or bonuses once he’s off the roster (unless he qualifies for injury guarantees).
Every dollar paid in any way counts against the cap. Salary counts immediately. Bonuses are allowed to be spread out over the remaining years on the deal. That's why some contracts are so long, even though the player is unlikely to play it all out. A 50m signing bonus is 10m per year on a 5 year deal. But if you cut him, all that's left on that hits immediately. So 40m in year 2 for example.
Aah, okay...now it makes sense. So Tyreek's bonus money didn't vanish, it was balanced out across the rest of his contract for cap purposes, even though he was paid (at least a chunk of it) up front. Thanks for explaining!
Yes exactly. And recently, teams have been even tacking on fake bonus years to deals, where the team is eating dead money in increments for years after the player is gone too. That's why we have a big dead cap hit for X Howard this season, even though he's been gone for years.
Aah, so now we're off the rails once again and back to square one. So the move should be to restructure Tua's contract, pay him the $99M bonus, then pro-rate it over the next 10-15 years.
I assume you mean if he retires medically. The 99 million for 2026 is from salary plus some March bonus of 15 million plus other bonus money due. He won't be cut prior to June 1. So that number isn't really real in a sense. Whatever happens, Tua needs to be off this team
