The Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa continue to negotiate a new contract. According to former Dolphins beat writer and current ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, there is no debate of should Miami make the deal.
The Miami Dolphins are in the middle of their 2024 veteran minicamp, the one mandatory offseason event for the year. While the team is back on the field practicing, it is an off-field situation that continues to dominate the headlines. Will the Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reach an agreement on a contract extension this summer?
Tagovailoa, selected fifth overall in the 2020 NFL draft by Miami, is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. The Dolphins could look to have Tagovailoa complete this year on their initial deal, then franchise tag him after the season, but it appears both sides are working toward avoiding that situation.
ESPN NFL Live discussed Tagovailoa’s contract situation on Tuesday, starting with a look at the market for quarterbacks and where a new deal for Miami’s quarterback, coming off his first Pro Bowl selection, could fall. Host Hannah Storm broke down the current quarterback market, looking at the top seven players, with the top five having signed new contracts worth over $50 million per season in the last two years. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tops the list at $55 million per season, followed by Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff from the Detroit Lions at $53 million, and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert at $52.5 million. The list continues with the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson at $52 million and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts at $51 million. The older contracts include the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray at $46.1 million and the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson at $46 million.
Storm highlighted the list does not include Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is tied with Kirk Cousins at $45 million, the eighth highest annual salary.
Storm then turned the discussion to Jeff Darlington, ESPN NFL reporter and former Dolphins beat reporter, to get a better idea of where the Dolphins and Tagovailoa stand in their negotiations. Darlington was firm in his expectation that a new contract will get done this year, and that Miami is committed to Tagovailoa, even with needing to exceed $50 million per season.
We will see Tua with a new contract in Miami.
“I don’t know if this needs to be repeated or not, but Tua is their guy moving forward,” Darlington stated. “This is not a matter of ‘Well, we can just move forward this year and not get this deal done.’ Everbody is on the same page. This is just one of those things where we just have to give it time. I would anticipate by mid-July, before training camp begins, we will see Tua with a new contract in Miami.”
Tim Hasselbeck, a former NFL quarterback and current analyst for ESPN, added some conjecture that the Dolphins might actually be waiting to see who could be available next year as an upgrade to Tagaovailoa. Initially asked if the Dolphins might still have injury concerns when it comes to their current quarterback, Hasselbeck denied that, but then turned to other possibilities. “I actually don’t think the injury history should play a whole lot into the decision, whether or not they want to go with him, he replied. “I think the bigger issue is do you feel like he is the guy, the best available guy, and do you think, because of what the market is, that he is worth paying over $50 million to. I also think this, Miami is a really attractive place because of the players that are there and, we’ve been joking about it, but it is an income tax free state. There are a lot of factors, it’s a lot of money and we are talking a lot of taxes.”
He continued, identifying other possible quarterbacks Miami might consider, saying, “The reality of it is, when you look at guys who could be available, I’m not saying all these guys will be, but a year from now, is it Dak Prescott, by the way, is it Aaron Rodgers, is it the next group, you know the Drew Locks – does he play some and play well, does he earn a chance to be a starter somewhere – and Mac Jones. There are guys. Deshaun Watson, what’s that going to look like after what happens in Cleveland this year? The market, I think, is going to look different in terms of who could potentially be available a year from now. So racing to pay Tua over $50 million a year when there is probably going to be an influx of quarterbacks that maybe could play at that same level, or better, I’m a little surprised to hear Jeff say Miami is for sure all in on Tua. Especially when I see Tua’s reaction to his frustration about not having a deal. That’s not a quarterback that knows something is about to happen.”
The Dolphins have decided Tua is their long-term guy
Darlington jumped back in immediately, restating that there is no question in the Dolphins organization that they will be moving forward with Tagovailoa, “I want to be very clear. I understand where you are coming from. I had similar questions. In fact, you think about Tua coming off this next year, if he does succeed, a lot of people will tie that to (Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel, and maybe that changes his market. That’s why I feel it is important to be emphatic about this. The Dolphins have decided Tua is their long-term guy, and they recognize it is going to cost them above $50 million. Just to be very clear, this is the team’s approach to these negotiations going forward this summer.”
Darlington, who is probably the reporter with the closest ties to the Dolphins at ESPN, clearly believes Miami and Tagovailoa will reach a deal in the next month or so. He does not see any way the Dolphins are not going to have Tagovailoa as their quarterback in 2025 and beyond, even if Hasselbeck seems to think there could be other options available.
The conversation continued with former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears questioning if Tagovailoa is a $50 million a year quarterback even as he is considered a top-tier player as well as a turn toward the weight loss Tagovailoa has had this offseason. You can check out the full discussion here:
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