The future of Tua Tagovailoa is the multi-million dollar question floating over the Miami Dolphins. With time to spare before the 2026 NFL season, the Phins are looking to answer that question as soon as possible. In that regard, new head coach Jeff Hafley issued a sincere statement on who will be the starting quarterback next season.
“I had a good conversation with Tua. We talked about a lot of things, but ultimately this is going to come down to who we believe gives us the best chance to win,” Hafley admitted about the starting quarterback in 2026, via Jim Rome and Dolphins Talk.
Coming into the 2025 NFL season, Tagovailoa had the QB1 job in South Florida locked up. However, a disastrous campaign—culminating in him being benched late in the season—has now put his future in doubt.
Quarterback options for Miami
Quinn Ewers hasn’t shown enough for Miami to feel confident it’s found its quarterback of the future, but he, along with other potential incoming quarterbacks, could dramatically reshape the QB room moving forward.
Jeff Hafley during his time with the Green Bay Packers
Recently, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan admitted that the Dolphins will draft a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft—and in virtually every draft while he serves as GM. Sullivan had already embraced that mindset during his time with the Green Bay Packers. Now, as he settles into the Magic City, he’s bringing many of the customs and strategies he applied back in Wisconsin.
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The 25 greatest Miami Dolphins in franchise history: Dan Marino and other legends
Why drafting QBs is the right decision for Dolphins
There is no player who can alter the course of a franchise like a great quarterback can. With every draft class entering the league, potential franchise-changing talents are up for grabs. Some prospects seem more obvious than others, but no team truly knows who will pan out to be a star. If they did, Tom Brady would never have been selected with the 199th overall pick.
The draft is a lottery—as much as executives across the NFL try to convince themselves otherwise—so any pick could be the golden one. Stockpiling quarterbacks may be frowned upon when a team already has an established starter, but in Miami, that is far from the case.
In fact, the Dolphins haven’t had anything remotely close to a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino hung up his cleats. Rolling the dice on quarterbacks in every draft is therefore far from a crazy idea—it’s a brilliant one.
