Dolphins, QB Tua Tagovailoa reach 4-year, $212.4M extension.
MIAMI -- The Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension, the largest in franchise history, his agency told ESPN's Adam Schefter.The $53.1 million average value of the contract places Tagovailoa third among the league's highest-paid quarterbacks, behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow ($55 million).
The deal includes $167 million guaranteed, eighth most among quarterbacks.
The agreement ends a fluid first two days of training camp, during which Tagovailoa was a limited participant or a nonparticipant. He practiced in full during the team's third training camp practice Friday, hours before news of the extension broke.
Both sides had been negotiating a deal since the 2023 season ended, and the team kept consistent communication with Tagovailoa's representatives at Athletes First.
Tagovailoa becomes the third quarterback to reach an extension this offseason, following the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff and Lawrence.
Since Dan Marino retired before the 2000 season, the Dolphins have struggled at quarterback. Twenty-five players, including Tagovailoa, have started at least one game for the Dolphins since the turn of the century. Only one of those players, 2012 first-round pick Ryan Tannehill, signed a multiyear extension with the team.
The expectation from the beginning was for Tagovailoa to end that plight when the Dolphins selected him at No. 5 in 2020, making him their highest-drafted quarterback since 1980. His career got off to a modest, then concerning start; his year-over-year numbers improved in each of his first three seasons, but he also missed nine games to injury, which included two diagnosed concussions during the 2022 season.
Tagovailoa turned in a career year in 2023, however, leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and setting a career high with 29 touchdown passes. He became the first Dolphins quarterback to lead the league in passing yards since Marino in 1992, and his total passing yards were the third most in a season in Dolphins history, behind only Marino (5,084 yards in 1984; 4,746 in 1986).
Opening the vault for a QB who can't win in the playoffs and has spent half his career hurt. More $$$ than Mahomes!!
Realistically Tua is one really bad hit away from retirement, just like JoeyB. Every year those two are neck and neck for the NFL Infirmary Award.
Wtf are some of these teams thinking.
Realistically Tua is one really bad hit away from retirement, just like JoeyB. Every year those two are neck and neck for the NFL Infirmary Award.
Wtf are some of these teams thinking.
It's not just "weather"
We've talked about this before. Tua can't beat teams over. 500, just like Dak. Same old, same old.
And now he had the balls to demand more $$$ than the guy who smoked him 26-7 in the playoffs with a less talented receiving core.
Even if you subtract the "one bad hit away" factor, paying a guy based on "promise" rather than actual past performance never works. But I guess there's always that lucky first time, right? LOL
I think this was a tough call for the dolphins.
He was paid around what the other QB's were getting so thats the market right now. Tua is in that same mix of all the qb's who just got paid.
They got the deal worked out before the regular season starts. Guess this saves them a bunch of $$$ if they wanted to keep him anyways
I'm assuming the contract starts in the 2025 season.
The dolphins could always restructure his contract.
Does he deserve 50 mil a year? Of course not, but most of them dont. Gotta pay the market
