Dolphins & Jaguars Pull Off Blockbuster QB Trade Just Before 2026 NFL Season
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The Dolphins made a bold decision at quarterback last December. The aftermath is still playing out months later.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Saturday that the Jaguars have agreed to trade for Miami quarterback Quinn Ewers, sending Day 3 draft compensation back to the Dolphins.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that the two sides are swapping 2028 Day 3 picks as part of the deal.
He Briefly Beat Out Tua For The Starting Job
The Dolphins selected Ewers out of Texas in the seventh round with the 231st overall pick in the 2025 draft, the final quarterback taken that year.
He spent most of his rookie season buried on Miami’s depth chart behind Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson. Everything changed in Week 16, when head coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa in favor of Ewers against Cincinnati.
“I think Quinn gives this team the best chance to win,” McDaniel told reporters at the time, pointing to conviction in quarterback play as the deciding factor.
That opportunity came because Tagovailoa had led the league with interceptions for much of the season. Ewers’ strong performances in practice helped him leapfrog Wilson entirely for the starting nod, a notable outcome for a player whose fall to the seventh round had puzzled his own camp during the draft process.
Jacksonville Adds A Young Arm To Its Quarterback Room
Trading for Ewers gives Jacksonville a low-cost, low-risk depth addition behind its current starter. The move comes as teams around the league continue to reshuffle QB rooms during final roster cuts, with several analysts flagging Miami’s quarterback situation as unsettled heading into 2026.
Tagovailoa’s massive 2026 cap number had already pushed speculation that Miami would eventually move on from multiple pieces in that quarterback room, and this trade continues that reshuffling.
Ewers set a Big 12 Championship Game passing record during his final season at Texas, throwing for over 3,400 yards in each of his last two collegiate campaigns.
He now heads to Jacksonville looking to carve out a role behind the Jaguars’ presumptive starter, joining a quarterback room that continues evolving as final roster decisions approach across the league.
