Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa era is potentially coming to an unceremonious end. A day after the Miami Dolphins got throttled out of playoff contention by the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Mike McDaniel told local media “everything is on the table” regarding a quarterback change for Week 16.
McDaniel, who’s often verbose in press conferences, was succinct in describing Tagovailoa’s play as “not good enough” against Pittsburgh. The fourth-year coach said he’ll make his decision for QB1 based on who gives Miami the best chance to win, and he expects to make that call Wednesday.
Tagovailoa leads the NFL in interceptions with 15 as his decision making, mobility and arm strength have cratered this season. The former No. 5 overall pick is on the books for the Dolphins through 2028 as he signed a four-year, $212.4 deal last July, so cutting ties this offseason would be financially challenging.
It sure sounds like Mike McDaniel really is seriously considering benching Tua Tagovailoa. Says a decision tomorrow.
“The quarterback play last night was not good enough.” pic.twitter.com/WjpKKzy9e4
— Will Manso (@WillManso) December 16, 2025
As for the remainder of 2025, New York Jets flameout Zach Wilson and seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers are the other candidates to start. Wilson began the year as Tagovailoa’s backup but Ewers usurped him in Week 7. It’s been a competition ever since, with Wilson being the No. 2 most recently.
Wilson, 26, is 12-21 in 33 career starts for the Jets. He’s thrown for more interceptions in his career (25) than he has touchdowns (23). New York took him No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, a pick behind Trevor Lawrence, who lit up the Jets for five touchdowns on Sunday.
Ewers is in his first year out of Texas. The once highly touted high school recruit began his career at Ohio State before transferring for an opportunity to start for the Longhorns. He made the most of his time in Austin, finishing his college career third in passing yards (9,128) and passing touchdowns (68) in Texas history.
While the upside lies with Ewers, Wilson has NFL experience that McDaniel could value if his priority is keeping his job. We’ll see who he rolls with by the end of Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2 Dolphins quarterback options if Tua Tagovailoa is benched
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