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LANDOVER, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 03: Tua Tagovailoa #1 and head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins talk on the field during the second quarter of the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on December 03, 2023 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Over the past four seasons, the Miami Dolphins have been primarily led by a group of three guys: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill.
With those three at the helm, the Dolphins made back-to-back postseason appearances in 2022 and 2023, while powering one of the NFL’s best offenses. Unfortunately, that success quickly faded in the playoffs and the following two seasons. As a result, none of them are current members of the Miami Dolphins; however, they also do not appear to thrive elsewhere.
Tyreek Hill remains an unsigned free agent, Tua Tagovailoa is the backup quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons and Mike McDaniel has to answer questions about his job security four games into his tenure as Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator.
As a result, one NFL analyst suggests that McDaniel and Tagovailoa reunite with the Chargers, hoping to perhaps have the same success they had in 2022 and 2023.
Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel Pushed To Reunite With Tua Tagovailoa
After the Los Angeles Chargers lost their fourth game in a row to start the 2026 season, Craig Horlbeck of the Ringer suggested that the Chargers could have a reunion between two former members of the Miami Dolphins.
Horlbeck said, “I think the Chargers should trade Tua. Let’s get the guy who can really do it [expletive] job, who can actually cook the food with the ingredients. We’ve seen it. We must bring him back. The backup for the Chargers is Trey Lance, I can’t think of a worse quarterback for this system than Trey Lance. Take Tua with you.”
While a reunion between the two men seems unlikely, especially after McDaniel benched Tagovailoa for the 2025 season and Tagovailoa criticized McDaniel after signing with the Falcons, the former Dolphins quarterback remains a trade candidate.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed Tagovailoa as the Atlanta Falcons’ most marketable asset, as he wrote: “If the Falcons believe Penix is ready to be “the guy” and get them back in the playoff hunt, then Tagovailoa might be the most expendable player on the roster who actually has any trade value—Cooper Rush, who started and performed poorly in Weeks 1 and 2, probably won’t.
Perhaps he will give some value to a system he is familiar with.
Tua Tagovailoa and History by Mike McDaniel
As Horlbeck noted, Tagovailoa has a history of success in McDaniel’s system. In Tagovailoa’s first season with Mike McDaniel, the quarterback led the NFL in passer rating and finished top 10 in MVP voting despite playing in just 13 games. Meanwhile, in 2023 Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,623 passing yards. Miami posted a 19-11 record with Tagovailoa as the team’s starter in those two seasons.
Current Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert appears to be struggling in McDaniel’s system. Through Los Angeles’ first four games, Herbert has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns and currently has a lower QBR than Tagovailoa did in the 2025 season when McDaniel benched him.
Herbert and Tagovailoa have been linked throughout their NFL careers as Miami selected Tagovailoa one spot ahead of Justin Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He writes for platforms such as RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer