DAVIE, Fla. -- It was not supposed to be this way for the Miami Dolphins.
In a season that started with immense optimism, this scheduled Monday Night Football game was expected to showcase a talented, up-and-coming team making a postseason push.
Instead, Miami is 5-7 with an interim head coach and essentially out of the playoff hunt. Perhaps more important is the franchise's long-term prospects, which is dimmed by the fact there remains major questions with its highly-paid quarterback.
Ryan Tannehill has become the $96 million mystery for the Dolphins. He signed an extension through 2020 last May that was the second-richest contract in franchise history – behind Ndamukong Suh's $114 million pact -- with the prospect of being Miami's long-term solution.