Dolphins coach Adam Gase made it clear after Sunday’s latest loss by the team: Ryan Tannehill will remain the quarterback.
“He’s not coming out,” Gase told reporters. “You can ask me a hundred times. He’s going to be in there the rest of this season.”
After the season, however, the Dolphins will have a decision to make.
On the fifth day of the league year in March, another $14.475 million becomes fully guaranteed for Tannehill. The Dolphins can avoid that obligation, along with the rest of Tannehill’s $17.975 million salary, by cutting him or trading him before then.
When Gase was hired, the move came with the understanding that he would have the ability after 2016 to bring in his own quarterback, if he decides to move on from Tannehill. Although Gase isn’t ready to do so after the first five games, it’s possible Gase will choose to do so after the next 11.
On Sunday, Tannehill had two interceptions and absorbed six more sacks, giving him 17 for the year.
Come next year, the question of whether the Dolphins will keep Tannehill will depend in large part on who else they can get. At this point, however, plenty of their fans would settle for anyone not named Ryan Tannehill.
