Kelly: Time to turn the page on Tua Tagovailoa and that era | Opinion
All things — good and bad — must come to an end eventually.
Life cycles exist for a reason, and it’s because a conclusion is inevitable, unavoidable, necessary and oftentimes healthy.
And these expiration dates aren’t just necessary for experiences, or people. They can/should also come into play with sports.
The Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa are over. South Florida’s NFL franchise divorced, not separated, from its former franchise quarterback earlier this spring.
Both parties have moved on. Malik Willis is Miami’s new bae, and Tagovailoa’s dating the Atlanta Falcons after joining Georgia’s NFL franchise a couple of weeks ago.
This isn’t a bad thing, so stop trying to extrapolate an ounce of emotion from either side because it’s time to move on.
“It was unique,” Tagovailoa told the Falcons media when asked about his 2025 season with the Dolphins, a year where he finished second in the NFL in interceptions thrown. “Players to coaches more so than players to players.”
Unique in what way a media member followed up, asking a good question.
“In a lot of ways,” Tagovailoa said before unleashing a sinister laugh I’d never heard from him before.
Maybe that’s the laugh one makes when someone you have beef with pays someone with a victim complex $54 million to go away, which is exactly what Miami did releasing Tagovailoa earlier this month despite owing him that sum in guaranteed money.
The Dolphins are in the midst of yet another rebuild, and there’s no shame in it, even if that means unloading tailback De’Von Achane, a Pro Bowler in 2025, and inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks, the NFL’s leading tackler last season, before the 2026 regular season kicks off, or concluded.
While there were good moments, like the 2023 season (before the final month of course) the Tagovailoa era failed the franchise.
Miami has a new general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan), a new head coach (Jeff Hafley), a new starting quarterback (Willis), and they will be building a new infrastructure.
That’s what happens when the quarterback a franchise was built around bottoms out, which is what happened to Tagovailoa last season.
“Everyone has to pull their own weight with this, and it’s the collection of what’s best for the team, not just the individual,” Tagovailoa said, referring to his role with the Falcons, and potentially competing with former Falcons first round pick Michael Penix Jr. for the starting quarterback spot.
Tagovailoa wasn’t talking about his final chapter with the Dolphins, which featured his benching after an embarrassing 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game that concluded his run as Miami’s franchise quarterback, and led to an uncomfortable divorce, which left the Dolphins paying him $54 million in NFL alimony.
But the sentiment certainly applied.
The Dolphins moved on as a franchise because it was what was best for the team, the organization.
Most of the people who were tied to Tagovailoa’s drafting and development had been fired because of the organization’s failures since 2020, when he was taken fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Why did the Dolphins era under Tagovailoa fail?
The past five seasons were a waste because the quarterback Miami drafted early after he sustained a career-threatening hip injury in his final season at the University of Alabama couldn’t stay healthy.
Neither could his team (which is another subject, especially since injuries tanked that 2023 season’s conclusion), and his arm died on him at the end of the 2025, so much so he lacked the velocity to throw a football more than 40-yards.
The Tagovailoa era didn’t fail because coach Mike McDaniel wasn’t a leader of men, which Tagovailoa was seemingly insinuating to the Atlanta media.
McDaniel wasn’t, but that was irrelevant to that conversation.
The Tagovailoa era didn’t fail because Miami’s offense wasn’t innovative enough, or the defense was limp.
Both units had their moments of success and failure in Tagovailoa’s five-year run.
And the Tagovailoa era didn’t fail because owner Steve Ross held resources back from the franchise. That has never happened, even with Miami taking a fiscally responsible approach last offseason to help balance Miami’s troublesome books.
The Dolphins wasted these past six seasons (I’m counting the Tank for Tua season in 2019) because they couldn’t rely on their franchise quarterback.
Tagovailoa’s play dipped in cold weather, and in late-season games. While his teammates dropped passes, and allowed sacks in inopportune moments, especially in must-win games, it’s a quarterback’s job to raise the tide.
Tagovailoa rarely did that.
Whether that was because of his substandard arm is up for debate, and will likely continue to be debated as he attempts to resurrect his career as a starter for the Falcons, which he seemingly cherry-picked because Atlanta plays in a warm-weather division, and their home stadium is a dome.
We have turned the page, or should have.
So there’s no reason to rubberneck Tagovailoa’s career, praising his success, or celebrating his failures.
The lessons are the important component of this breakup, and both parties attempt to find happiness elsewhere.
