Other QBs potentially available

It’s possible that Kirk Cousins might be on the trading block next spring considering the Falcons, which signed the 35-year-old to a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason, drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round and will eventually hand the rookie the keys to the franchise.

Cousins, who is overcoming a Achilles injury he sustained last season, will likely begin 2024 as the Falcons starter. But if he’s not a top-rated passer who leads Atlanta to a winning season, the Falcons might be willing to pivot for the right draft pick in 2025.

Cousins will make $27.5 million in 2025 and $45 million in 2026, but only his 2025 salary is guaranteed.

Miami could also pursue Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, luring one of Pittsburgh’s two quarterbacks. Nobody knows which of those two will end the season as the Steelers’ starter, or how far either quarterback will lead Pittsburgh. But one should be available in 2025, if not both.

The Dolphins could also provide Daniel Jones a new home if he’s dislodged from his starting role with the New York Giants. Jones has two years left on his existing contract, which will pay him $30.5 million next season at the age of 28.

Deshaun Watson, who is guaranteed $46 million a year for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, could also be available if his price tag doesn’t match his production in Cleveland. And Arizona could be motivated to move on from Kyler Murray if he’s not able to turn the Cardinals back into a winning franchise.

The odds of any of those veteran quarterbacks being waived are slim, so we’re talking about a trade that would require early draft picks, maybe a second- or a third-round selection, and that’s being fairly conservative.

Let’s be honest, are those options — at whatever price in salary and draft picks — substantially better than Tagovailoa, who is one of two quarterbacks to produce a 100-plus passer rating the past two seasons, with San Francisco’s Brock Purdy being the other?

Time to develop a rookie QB?

If Miami does move on from Tagovailoa and enters a rebuilding state, the franchise could turn to the 2025 draft.

It’s hard to say which college quarterbacks — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Miami’s Cam Ward, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Appalachian State’s Joey Aguiliar and Missouri’s Brady Cook — will have teams lining up for their services, jockeying to get to the top of the 2025 NFL draft.

The 2024 collegiate season must play out before we can formulate a consensus.

However, if the Dolphins produce the franchise’s fifth straight winning season, which is a strong possibility if Tagovailoa stays healthy all season, considering he had never produced a losing record in any of his previous four years, the Dolphins will likely have a pick no higher than 16th in the first round. The only other way to put the franchise in position to draft a quarterback early is to maneuver their way up the draft board with trades.

And even if Miami does draft a replacement for Tagovailoa there’s likely going to be growing pains for the rookie, and a bridge quarterback — say former San Francisco and Las Vegas starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who is signed to a one-year deal worth $3.2 million with the Los Angeles Rams — might need to be added just in case.

Once we evaluate all of those alternatives, break-in-case of emergency situations, it’s fair to say Miami has options if they need to move on from Tagovailoa. But are any of them more favorable, more ideal than finding a way to get a deal done with Tagovailoa, keeping the relationship healthy, and moving in the right direction?

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