NFL Rumors: Surprising Team Could Make Trade for Tua Tagovailoa

January 30, 2026 ,
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa walks off the field during 2025 game.

The Los Angeles Rams season was recently ended after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game. 

However, the Rams' future still looks bright, despite an aging Matthew Stafford.

Chatter is now picking up that the Rams could go pursue a trade for Tua Tagovailoa. Their team is built to win now and Stafford is 38 next season, with retirement talk never far away. 

Tua Tagovailoa fits the Rams timeline if Stafford exits

Tua turns 28 in March, and he has already shown a high-end ceiling, including leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023 on the way to earning a massive extension. 

If Stafford did decide he is done, the Rams would not be looking for a long rebuild. They would be hunting for a quarterback who can function right away in a Sean McVay structure with a strong supporting cast, which is exactly why national writers have floated Tagovailoa as a realistic “change of scenery” bet if Miami ever makes him available.

This season, Tagovailoa recorded a 67.7 completion percentage, 2,660 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and a career-high 15 interceptions over 14 games played. 

The money and the risk are why this stays a rumor

This is where it gets messy. 

Tagovailoa is on a four year, $212.4 million deal, so any Rams pursuit has to involve Miami eating money or creative restructuring, and even then, it is a serious commitment for a player whose recent storyline has turned from a quarterback who could really sling it to being benched and a lot of uncertainty.

That is why some proposals frame it as a later offseason trade with salary help attached, basically a swing for upside if the Rams suddenly need a successor and the Miami Dolphins are motivated to reset the room. 

Photo Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

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