Overview
- ESPN reports Miami offered Cincinnati four first-round picks for the 2020 No. 1 selection to draft Joe Burrow, and the Bengals declined to engage.
- With both teams eliminated from playoff contention, the Dolphins have benched Tua Tagovailoa and named seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers their Week 16 starter against the Bengals.
- Miami is expected to hire a new general manager who will decide Tagovailoa’s fate, with league reporting indicating the organization is prepared to move on from him.
- An outright release of Tagovailoa would create about $99 million in dead money, though a post–June 1 designation could split the hit across 2026 and 2027, and $54 million is already guaranteed for 2026.
- Burrow has recently raised questions about his long-term future in media sessions but says he expects to remain in Cincinnati, adding context to renewed discussion of Miami’s past pursuit.