The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly talking with quarterback Daniel Jones and his people about a long-term contract, but others have reported that the sides are not anywhere close to a number. Could Indy begin to look elsewhere for a new QB1? And could that player be Tua Tagovaliloa?
CBS Sports' John Breech believes so. The Miami Dolphins would have to move on from the QB, though. He is currently still under contract with a massive cap hit in 2026. If Miami wants to trade him, the other team involved in the deal would have to eat a lot of the money. The Dolphins could also agree to pay some of Tagovailoa's salary, which might help a trade go down.
The Dolphins could also release the quarterback, eat a lot of dead money, but at least they would have the chance at a full restart, which Miami already seems to be doing this offseason. In that case, a team, such as the Colts, could sign the QB for a lot less than a trade would cost.
NFL analyst believes the Indianapolis Colts could be a landing spot for Tua Tagovailoa
Breech writes, "Tua doesn't have any guaranteed money left after the 2026 season, so he could fill in for Jones for a few weeks, finish out the 2026 season in Indy, and then the Colts could release or trade him during the 2027 offseason."
The assumption there, of course, is that Indianapolis brings back Daniel Jones on a long-term contract while Tagovailoa fills in while Jones is working his way back from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in Week 14. There are issues with that kind of thinking, though.
For one, what happens with Anthony Richardson or, maybe more importantly, Riley Leonard. Richardson probably needs to be traded for anything the team can get for him. He needs a change of scenery, and the team needs to open up his roster spot.
Leonard was actually pretty good against a great Houston Texans defense in Week 18 after Indy gave Leonard a chance to start. He, not Tua Tagovailoa, should likely be Jones' temporary replacement. At least, ideally, that would happen.
The Indianapolis Colts don't live in an ideal world, though. General manager Chris Ballard knows he has to make the playoffs in 2026 to keep his job. Does he believe Riley Leonard can get early-season victories before Daniel Jones returns? No one knows that yet.
Ballard could think that a current Miami Dolphins quarterback puts Indianapolis in a better position to succeed, but what happens if Tagovailoa does so well that it makes replacing him with a healthy Jones an iffy possibility. The truth is that potentially adding Tagovailoa makes the Colts have more questions about their quarterback situation, not fewer.