Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa booed by Dolphins fans as Miami pays price for failed relationship

As reunions go, Tua Tagovailoa’s return to South Florida as an Atlanta Falcon against his former Miami Dolphins teammates was not exactly a happy one.

Dysfunctional is a better word for it.

For six seasons, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins tried to make it work.

They failed.

DOLPHINS NOT GOING TO 'THROW IN THE TOWEL AND JUST REBUILD' BUT THAT COMES WITH HIGHER EXPECTATIONS Tagovailoa was set back by some coaches who didn’t like him and injuries that too often overshadowed him, so he never reached his goal of becoming the face of the franchise.

And the Dolphins never came close to reaching the championship level they expected when they drafted Tagovailoa in the top five in 2020 and paid him like a top-five quarterback in 2024.

The failures resulted in a divorce during the offseason and this exhibition game at Hard Rock Stadium was the first time the couple happened to be at the same place at the same time since the split.

And guess what? Everybody believes they're better off after the separation.

But no one is at this stage better off after the separation.

DOLPHINS CONSULTANT TROY AIKMAN WILL BE LIMITED IN MNF ROLE LIKE RAIDERS MINORITY OWNER TOM BRADY IS ON FOX Tagovailoa is trying to earn a starting job with the Falcons and the fact he came into this game without yet having done so speaks to his failing since training camp began.

Because Tagovailoa has basically been competing only against himself while Michael Penix Jr. has been limited in practices as he makes his way back from a 2025 knee surgery.

And, yet, with his only significant competition sidelined and the path to the starting job clear, Tagovailoa hasn't been able to lock the job down.

The Dolphins? They got rid of Tagovailoa this offseason despite the fact he would be costing them some $55 million in salary in 2026 alone.

There's another bill coming next year.