Dolphins busy with two moves ahead of NFL free agency

With the unofficial start of free agency just a few hours away, one of the New England Patriots' divisional rivals is already busy. Before noon on Monday, the Miami Dolphins had already reportedly made a couple of notable subtractions.

The first was somewhat expected - the release of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Drafted fifth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, struggled with injuries throughout his Dolphins career and his level of play had fallen off as of late. He went 6-8 as a starter in 2025, and threw a career-high 15 interceptions.

By cutting Tagovailoa, the Dolphins will now carry a $99 million dead cap hit. That will be split over the next two years with the cut being designated as post-June 1. Because of that, Tagovailoa is not eligible to sign with a new team until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET at the earliest.

Miami also engineered a rare in-division trade. They're sending safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets, in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The Jets will then sign Fitzpatrick to a three-year, $40 million deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal.

This is the second time Fitzpatrick has been traded in less than a calendar year. Miami acquired him back in June in a deal that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Steelers. The 29-year-old now joins a Jets team looking to build back up in the second year under head coach Aaron Glenn. In particular New York needs to improve a secondary that had no interceptions last year.

Both teams are working to catch up with the Patriots, who won the AFC East last year for the first time since 2019. The Bills have already made a move as well, acquiring wide receiver D.J. Moore in a trade last week.

So a few moves have been made, but there's still a long way to go. Teams can start negotiating with unrestricted free agents at noon ET on Monday. Stay up to date on all the news and rumors with our free agency tracker here.