Releasing Tyreek Hill Could Help Dolphins Also Move On From Tua Tagovailoa

The future of QB Tua Tagovailoa in Miami has been a hot topic of late following the Dolphins’ decision to bench him. 

The issue for the Dolphins is that while Tagovailoa may not be part of their long-term plans, releasing him would result in a $99 million dead money salary cap charge, which would be the largest in NFL history.

Should Miami designating Tagovailoa as a post June 1 cut, it would split the dead cap to $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027. Other teams like the Broncos have incurred major cap hits while drafting quarterbacks, so anything is possible. 

Schefter does mention something that is interesting to consider. 

The Dolphins also have Tyreek Hill on their roster next season with a $52 million cap figure. Should Miami release Hill outright, they’d save $23.65 million and that number improves to $36 million of cap space in 2026 if they designate him as a post-June 1 release. 

“It’s ironic that the Tagovailoa-Hill connection that made the Dolphins competitive in recent seasons now has the chance to do the same for future seasons — in a reverse way,” Schefter writes.

The expectation has been that Miami will release Hill next year, so this isn’t a huge surprise, but the fact that it could also help them move on from Tua is interesting. 

Hill, 31, is a former fifth-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2016. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $2.58 million contract in 2019 when the Chiefs signed him to a new three-year $54 million extension that included $35.2 million guaranteed. 

The Chiefs traded Hill to the Dolphins during the 2022 offseason. From there, Hill signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Dolphins, which included $72.2 million in guaranteed money.

He was due base salaries of $19.665 million and $21.835 million over his next two seasons when he agreed to a reworked three-year, $90 million contract with $65 million in guarantees heading into the 2024 season. 

In 2025, Hill appeared in four games for the Dolphins and caught 21 passes on 29 targets for 265 yards and one touchdown.