Neurologist Evan Parker recently told the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson that “the length of time would be greater and greater” regarding how long quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would have to sit out if he were to receive any future concussions.
In light of receiving opinions from Parker and a neurosurgeon in Lloyd Zucker, Jackson suggested that the Miami Dolphins should look to sign another quarterback in the offseason who could be a reliable backup behind Tagovailoa.
“All of this means the Dolphins — this offseason — must either trade for an established backup; use a high draft pick on a quarterback and hope he’s ready immediately if needed; or spend decent money on one of the best options in a 2025 free agent quarterback class that will include Sam Darnold (who likely will get a starting job somewhere), Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Cooper Rush, Jameis Winston, Mac Jones, Carson Wentz, Joe Flacco, Jimmy Garoppolo, Mason Rudolph, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota, Drew Lock, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Jarrett Stidham,” Jackson wrote.
“Russell Wilson, Winston and Jones could be the best options for Miami from that group, figuring Darnold will get a starting opportunity elsewhere.”
The Dolphins have had to rely on folks such as Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle at the quarterback position ever since Tagovailoa suffered his concussion, and none of them have quite mitigated the issues left by his absence. Huntley got his first start of the season in Miami’s loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 30, and he finished with only 96 passing yards on 22 passing attempts.
Wilson, Winston and Jones have all had productive stints as starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but Jones might be the least talented of the three names Jackson likes as free-agent options. He threw almost as many touchdowns as he did interceptions (24 compared to 23) across his last two seasons in New England after a great rookie season and never brought much to the table from a rushing standpoint as a Patriot, either.
Winston might be a better option than Jones because of the notion that the latter can do more for an offense. It has been several seasons since Winston has seen extended playing time, but when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers late last decade, he was one of the better passers in the NFL on top of being an impactful rusher.
Finally, Wilson makes a lot of sense as an offseason target for Miami. He has yet to suit up for the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2024 regular season started, but he is not far removed from a decent campaign as the Denver Broncos’ starting signal-caller. In 15 games played with Denver in the 2023 regular season, Wilson totaled 3,070 passing yards and finished with 26 passing touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions.
Wilson is also an experienced NFL quarterback, as he has competed in a number of playoff games and even won a Super Bowl when he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
