The greatest Dolphins quarterback of all time believes his team needs a quarterback competition this season. “You have to have competition at that position and I think that’s probably where the Dolphins have to go,” Marino told Mad Dog Sports Radio. “Just have competition there and see what that is. I’m not in the position to say it’s going to be free agency or the guys we have or whatever that may be, but I do know when you have competition at that position it’s going to make it better and better and that’s what the Dolphins need to do.” The Dolphins owe Tua Tagovailoa $54 million guaranteed for the 2026 season, so it would be difficult for them to move on from him. Marino says he likes Tagovailoa as a person but doesn’t believe the new coaching staff is going to hand him the starting job. “Excellent guy, human being, and he’s still on the roster, so you just don’t know right now — the new staff is coming in and they’ve got to evaluate everything,” Marino said. “Right now, Tua’s with us, he’s one of our quarterbacks, and that’s the way it’s gonna be.” Tagovailoa may be a $54 million backup in Miami next season.
Well, odds are they aren't just going to hand the job to Ewers. So after Tua is gone, then whoever else is added to the roster will likely compete for the job.
As a former journalist, this speaks volumes to me because it's all about controlling the narrative. You don't make a statement like this with a $50M QB on the roster unless that person is not going to be on the roster. His other quote is just as revealing, talking about non-football traits when mentioning Tua. The other thing he's saying (without saying it) is that we have no idea who's going to be our starting QB next season. And that's okay, he's trying to put a positive spin on a highly negative situation. I just hope that the "QB competition" has 1 or 2 new names added to the mix so we have something to look forward to.
Reports are that we are openly shopping Tua. However, it's possible that he is still on the roster due to the contract. I think Marino is basically saying Tua isn't going to be the starter next year. I would guess the main focus would be on trying to snag Malik Willis, but with our 2026 cap situation it may be difficult. The team would rather fans know Tua isn't guaranteed to start and may be our version of 2025 Cousins if he is still around at the start of next season.
