MIAMI — There’s a trade market for Tua Tagovailoa.

This isn’t an April Fool’s joke. This is reality in a quarterback-starved NFL.

“If they don’t want him we’ll gladly take him off their hands,” said one NFL coach said speaking on the condition of anonymity at the NFL owner’s meeting.

Make no mistake about this, Tagovailoa is not being shopped by the Miami Dolphins. That’s not what’s happening. Not even close.

But if he were, the Dolphins LIKELY wouldn’t get more for the five-year starting quarterback than the 2025 second-round pick (selection No. 52) the Seattle Seahawks got from the Pittsburgh Steelers for Pro Bowl receiver D.K. Metcalf.

If he were available Tagovailoa would likely jump to the front of the line when it comes to available quarterbacks, leapfrogging a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins, whose bloated salary, age, and injury history makes it hard for the Atlanta Falcons to move the 159-game starter.

Miami’s problem would be finding Tagovailoa’s replacement, and considering NFL teams like the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling to find decent starting quarterbacks, and must rely on Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston [two veterans the New York Giants signed this offseason], and Rodgers, whom the Steelers have been courting for weeks, that task is easier said than done.

The Dolphins aren’t there yet.

The franchise has not given up on Tagovailoa, who has a 38-24 win-loss record as a starter, and for valid reasons.

The quarterback who led the NFL in passer rating (105.5) in 2022, yards thrown for (4,624) in 2023, and completion percentage (72.9%) in 2024 hasn’t peaked yet, and neither has his team.

“He’s still an ascending player,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said at the NFL owner’s meeting Monday morning when discussing [insert Terrell Owens’ voice] his quarterback.

McDaniel is married to Tagovailoa. As the young people say, they go together BAD.

So don’t expect anything to happen with Tagovailoa under McDaniel’s watch. At least not for the 2025 season.

But beyond that ...

We’ve all seen Tagovailoa’s level of efficiency in McDaniel’s offense, and his play — especially in 2023 when he was named the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter — proves he’s better than average.

He’s not competent. He’s efficient, and that’s hard to find in the NFL.

Say whatever you want about Tagovailoa’s ability to lead the Dolphins to a victory against playoff caliber opponents — and there’s merit to those claims — but NFL teams crave efficient quarterbacks that possess his accuracy, pocket presence, quick trigger, shrewd decision making, and high-level of efficiency.

What scares everyone is the 27-year-old’s fragility, which was on display twice last season because of his two major medical issues — a concussion he suffered in week two, and a hip injury that surfaced in December — which sideswiped the Dolphins’ 2024 season.

It’s been made crystal clear to Tagovailoa that he needs to keep himself available to the team. Last season proved how different of a team Miami is when Tagovailoa is at the helm, and the Dolphins want more of that. Ideally, 17 games more.

But how long can Miami count on having the quarterback this franchise signed to a five-year deal worth $235 million last August, especially since Miami opted against borrowing from his contract this offseason?

The Dolphins could have created an additional $19.3 million in cap space by transforming most of Tagovailoa’s $25 million base salary into a roster bonus this spring, but decided against doing so.

Turns out Miami didn’t need the money after restructuring Terron Armstead, Bradley Chubb and Austin Jackson’s contract, and then taking a fiscally responsible approach to free agency, only signing two players — offensive lineman James Daniels and backup quarterback Zach Wilson — to substantive contracts.

Miami enters this month’s NFL draft with $16.5 million in cap space, and that’s before they get a final verdict from Armstead (who is seemingly leaning toward retiring), and Calais Campbell (who is leaning towards joining a contender if Miami’s offer doesn’t improve).

The Dolphins also have other business matters to address, like improving defensive tackle Zach Sieler’s contract.

Sieler could earn $9.1 million if he plays every single game, and all his bonuses are reached. But that contract for Seiler, who produced 20 sacks the past two seasons, makes him one of the NFL’s biggest bargains, and he’ll likely push to have that addressed before the season.

But that’s another problem for another day. Today’s problem centers on how long Tagovailoa’s future is with the Dolphins?

There’s no expiration date on taking that loan from the Bank of Tua. Miami can do it tomorrow, or next year, or the year after that with minimal consequence.

The problem is, restructuring his deal makes it harder for the franchise to move him, and move on from Tagovailoa after the 2026 season (his $40 million salary in 2026 and bonuses became guaranteed on March 15) if the organization decides they’ve had enough, and want a divorce.

Keep in mind, trading Tagovailoa after the 2025 season would create a $31 million cap savings, which is manageable if the contract stays as is.

And now that we know there’s still a market for the former University of Alabama standout, the Dolphins need to plan accordingly, and might be doing just that.

The bottom line is that Tagovailoa has two seasons to prove he’s an upper echelon NFL starter, and the Dolphins have one, maybe two seasons to put a better team around him before it all falls apart.

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