Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are hoping to get an extension done as soon as possible. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo pass along, there’s been indications from both sides that they “would like to get a deal done quickly this offseason.”
[RELATED: Tagovailoa Expects To Remain With Dolphins Long-Term]
Both sides have previously expressed their interest in a long-term commitment, and it now bodes well for the impending negotiations that neither the Dolphins nor Tagovailoa’s camp are looking to draw out the process. As the NFL Network trio notes, both sides also want to avoid “a storyline that hangs over training camp or the regular season.”
Of course, settling on a new deal will be easier said than done. The fourth-year quarterback is coming off of a career year where he set career highs in passing yards (4,624), touchdowns (29), and completion percentage (69.3). Even more notably, Tagovailoa managed to get into all 17 games this past year, a huge accomplishment after he missed 14 games through his first three years due to injuries and concussions.
Tagovailoa showed a clear step forward under Mike McDaniel in 2022, but thanks to a series of concussions, it was reported that the Dolphins would table contract talks until after the 2022 campaign. While the gamble made sense, it didn’t end up working out for the Dolphins front office. As the salary cap continues to grow and QB contracts continue to climb, Tagovailoa could be eyeing a significantly larger pay day than he likely would have received last year.
It’s uncertain if Tagovailoa’s camp would push for a deal that’s approaching Joe Burrow‘s league-leading $55MM per year, but the former first-round pick will surely be eyeing a cap hit that’s much larger than his $23.17MM salary via the fifth-year option in 2024. The Dolphins do have the franchise tag in their back pocket, so not all would be lost if the two sides are unable to agree to a deal.
The Dolphins’ disappointing end to the 2023 campaign briefly put Tagovailoa’s future with Miami in doubt. Ultimately, it sounds like both sides are committed to hammering out a deal sooner than later.
Representing a QB who is concussion prone must be the secret dream of every player agent.
Unless Tua is just willing to accept a top 1/4 of the market deal…nothing about this will be quick or easy. He isn’t elite and despite FINALLY playing a full season, his health issues are far from a settled issue.
I hope the Dolphins go broke for this guy. He’s one hit away from watching from his couch.
*I realize that can be said about anybody, but there are many more types of hits that can end his career than most, due to his concussion history.
**I don’t wish harm on anybody, so don’t try to accuse me of that.
No you didn’t wish harm on him, you just hope the Dolphins suffer and for them to do that, he’s gotta get hurt. You’re not fooling anyone
Trash
All this begs the question: why did Miami get found out by good teams after feasting on cupcakes all year long. The answer is in the way the Dolphins played: S-A-W-F-T.
Those S-A-W-F-T Dolphins outscored the Jets 64-13 so it won’t be necessary to ask who the cupcake was.
Miami had some pretty ugly losses in allowing 48 at Buffalo, 31 at Philly, 56 at Baltimore. Needed a FG at the gun to defeat Dallas.
Dolphins’ record vs. winning teams: 1-5 in season, a loss in the playoffs (to the Super Bowl winner). That is the definition of S-A-W-F-T.
He shouldn’t become the highest paid but if the Cowboys do some dumb@$$ $h!t with Dak I think Tua has an argument.
Got to give a hand to McDaniel. He understood the absolute limitation’s of his noodle armed qb. He got him the fastest Wr core in the league and then schemed a one read and spot throw offense around the fact that speed can create space. However, good defenses can easily shut that down by reading the spots and disrupting the timing. Tua is garbage when he has to operate outside the system. He is the AFC version of Dak but with less athleticism. All of the teams in the AFCE hope that the Lolphins will break the bank for him. Please, bust your cap on this below average system qb.
Yeah I get that he is probably the best quarterback they’ve had in decades. But to simply pay him for being the least mediocre of the bunch is just setting themselves up for even more years of irrelevance. Tua has shown he can beat up on and stat pad against weak opposition. Then any time an opponent shows even a little resistance, his performance is ruined. It’s so clear that he’s not the guy you break the bank for and handcuff yourself to long term.
What everyone says above makes sense. And yes he is not in the top 5 of QB’s in the league, but you just watch…..gonna be highest paid because things are dumb
Not things are dumb, teams are dumb. NFL loves to claim ‘parity’, yet the same teams lose annually. Sure 1 or 2 teams drop out of the playoffs & 1-2 enter them, otherwise it’s the same. You can expect the Jags, Jets, LV, Chargers, DC, Bears, Falcons, & Cards to be sub .500 again next season.
Jax were win-and-in going into Week 18. Atlanta were win-and-need-help going into Week 18. Most of all, nobody saw New England collapse all the way to 4-13 and the #3 overall draft pick.
Learn how to follow the league instead of being a dittohead to what ESPN pushes.
All you did was strengthen his point.
From google:
They have made the playoffs a total of eight times. As of the end of the 2023 season, the Jaguars have an all-time record of 198 wins, 269 losses, and 0 ties in the regular season, with an additional 8 wins and 8 losses in the playoffs.
Everything is quick with Tua. His throw release, his extension negotiations, his playoff exit.
Tua is going to want top money – or near to it. Daniel Jones set the bar and every agent/GM knows that. All Miami can do to protect themselves is front-load Tua’s guaranteed money so as to reduce their long-term injury exposure risk.
How much is he worth?