The Buffalo Bills split their 2025 season series with the Miami Dolphins this season, and with the Dolphins being eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15, Buffalo doesn’t have to worry about their southern-most AFC East rival again until next season.
However, when the Bills meet the Dolphins in 2026, it could be with a new face under center for the Miami franchise. The Dolphins announced Wednesday morning that they are benching six-year starter Tua Tagovailoa for the remainder of the 2025 regular season.
Tagovailoa had another poor showing in Pittsburgh on Monday night, eating four sacks and throwing an early interception in Miami’s 28-15 loss. Tagovailoa completed 78% of his passes in the game and scored two garbage-time touchdowns, but the Dolphins waved the white flag early in the fourth quarter and Tagovailoa’s struggles in the game weren’t reflective in the box score.
For the remainder of this season, the Dolphins will turn to seventh-round rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, who appeared in one game earlier this season.
Buffalo Bills spent six years exposing Miami's Tua Tagovailoa problem that they finally couldn’t ignore
For Bills fans, it may have always seemed like just a matter of time before Miami moved on from Tagovailoa, even with a 4-year, $212.4 million contract in hand that he signed before the 2024 season. Tagovailoa struggled against Buffalo in 11 starts, throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns, 13, in those games.
The win Tagovailoa got over Buffalo in Week 10 to kickstart Miami’s four-game winning streak was just the second victory for Tagovailoa in 11 tries.
Of course, the Dolphins still have more decisions to make about Tagovailoa’s future because of his contract. Miami could look west at how Denver absorbed Russell Wilson’s contract and quickly turned their fortunes around to be the leading AFC team in the playoff race this year. Tagovailoa is due $54 million guaranteed next season, and cutting him could result in a dead cap penalty for Miami as much as $99 million.
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Still, at 6-8, Miami is currently outside of the top 10 draft picks. Obviously, that could change with Ewers under center, but landing another quarterback in next year’s draft to replace Tagovailoa isn’t a given in the immediate aftermath of his benching.
Nonetheless, it sure seems like the Bills should expect Miami to have a new starting quarterback next season and beyond. Hopefully, Buffalo can find just as much success against the next guy under center as they did against Tagovailoa the past six seasons.