What is the best trade destination for Tua Tagovailoa?

By: Jake Rajala

The Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 NFL draft. Tagovailoa has taken positive strides in the past two years, but he hasn’t lived up to his draft expectations. Here is a look at how productive the Dolphins QB has been in his career thus far:

*stats are according to Pro Football Reference

• 13-8 career record
• 27 passing touchdowns and 15 career interceptions
• 66.2 completion percentage

It’s clear that Tua has been a productive QB, but he hasn’t proved to be an elite QB in the yards or touchdown category. The Dolphins have been rumored to trade Tua and potentially trade for a talented QB over the past year.

The biggest reason why the Dolphins could opt to not trade Tua is the recent hire of the former 49ers offensive genius Mike McDaniels. The speculation is that McDaniels has more trust in Tua than Brian Flores and that McDaniels will help Tua succeed in the near future.

I still don’t believe Tua is completely safe as the Dolphins future starting QB. McDaniels may have been optimistic towards Tua and the Dolphins fan base on Day 1, but I wouldn’t expect McDaniels to tell the world that he doesn’t have faith in Tua, who was one of the most popular players in the league when drafted. I also don’t think McDaniels has completely bought it on Tua and I expect the Dolphins new head coach to scan his options at QB, especially when the Dolphins play in the frigid AFC East. McDaniels also knows that he needs to bring the Dolphins back to the playoffs soon. They won seven games in a row last season, but they still didn’t make it to the playoffs.

The Dolphins have the most cap space in the league and they could decide to add more pieces around Tua and push for a playoff berth in 2022. I still think that McDaniels could potentially ship out Tua for a more talented QB, especially when Tua isn’t well-established and many elite, disgruntled QBs are available. With that said who could trade for Tua and who could McDaniels seek out in return? Well, here are a few potential teams that could make a trade involving Tua.

Dolphins trade Tua, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Kyler Murray

If Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals believe it’s imminent that Murray won’t be a Cardinal, they should get a slightly worse version of Murray and more draft picks in return. McDaniels is all too familiar with the magic of Murray in the NFC West. He would be the best combination of talent and age on the QB market this offseason.

Tua holds a similar skillet as Murray, as they both can make big throws and make plays with their legs. Murray is obviously a lot quicker than Tua, but the Dolphins younger QB can run a very similar playbook that Murray ran in 2021. The talent of DeAndre Hopkins and potentially Zach Ertz (2022 free agent) could help Tua progress in Arizona.

Dolphins trade Tua and their 2022 first-round pick to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers

The Miami Dolphins could seek to add a few free agents with their cap space and then acquire the mighty Aaron Rodgers. McDaniels could really come out guns blazing with A-Rod in 2022. McDaniels may not be the former OC for Rodgers (also known as Nathaniel Hackett), but he could create a more attractive picture than the Broncos to lure Rodgers.

Matt LaFleur could trade away Rodgers for the potential heir to Rodgers in Tagovailoa. LaFleur has already stated that Jordan Love isn’t ready to have the keys to the offense. Love has been mediocre in pre-season and he only led the Packers to score 7 points against the Kansas City Chiefs in his lone start in 2021. If LaFleur feels like a Rodgers trade is imminent in 2022 or that they feel like he can’t bring them to win a Super Bowl next season, he could pick up their future QB in Tua. If LaFleur doesn’t have the right replacement for Rodgers when he hangs up the cleats, the Packers could struggle for many years.

Dolphins trade Tua to the Browns for Baker Mayfield and a 2022 third-round pick

The Cleveland Browns could likely move Baker Mayfield and I expect that Kevin Stefanski wants a prominent QB in return. He has familiarly with the Vikings signal-caller Kirk Cousins, but I also imagine that the Browns could be a wild-card team to land Tua. The Dolphins QB can be a much better game manager than Mayfield for Stefanski, while McDaniels can dream up deep passing concepts with Jaylen Waddle and Mayfield. I also believe Baker has a higher ceiling than Tua in the passing game strictly.

If the Dolphins trade away Tua for Mayfield, they could receive more compensation from the Browns, too. The Dolphins could draft a WR or RB in the third round (or trade up into the second round) with another potential third-round pick.

The Dolphins might be an oddball team to inquire about a Baker trade in Stefanski’s mind, but it could be the right deal. He should be persistent about getting a QB that’s younger and more conservative with the football, such as Tua.

Dolphins trade Tua to the Saints for a 2022 first-round pick

If McDaniels is in love with selecting one of the QBs in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, he should really seek a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are a very popular landing spot for Matt Corral. The Dolphins could send the Saints Tua, while the Dolphins grab the Saints first-round spot (18th) and pick Corral in the first round.

The Dolphins could pick up Corral and still pick an offensive lineman or WR at 29th overall in the draft. Meanwhile, the Saints could have a young QB that they can develop in the non-Sean Payton era. The Saints still have an elite defense, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara. They may like the floor of Tua and his youth to count on him to bring them to the playoffs in the near future.

Dolphins trade Tua to the Steelers for a 2022 first-round pick

The Steelers need an upgrade at QB over Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins in 2022. Mike Tomlin has already stated that he wants an “athletic” QB to join his squad. The former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, who has been one of the top backup QBs over the past two years, would be an ideal free-agent target for Tomlin. Although, if he falls in love with Tua, he could find a way to pick up the Dolphins athletic QB. Tua could potentially be the long-term QB for the Big Ben-less Steelers.

The Steelers have a slightly worse draft pick than the Saints (20th overall), but the Dolphins could be enticed about sending Tua to the QB-needy Steelers for multiple first-round choices. If the Dolphins don’t want to select a QB with two potential first-round choices, they could use the two first-round picks to attempt to trade for a QB like Kyler Murray or Russell Wilson.