The Miami Dolphins are in the course of their 2024 veteran minicamp, the one obligatory offseason occasion for the 12 months. Whereas the crew is again on the sector practising, it’s an off-field scenario that continues to dominate the headlines. Will the Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa attain an settlement on a contract extension this summer time?
Tagovailoa, chosen fifth general within the 2020 NFL draft by Miami, is getting into the fifth and remaining 12 months of his rookie contract. The Dolphins might look to have Tagovailoa full this 12 months on their preliminary deal, then franchise tag him after the season, however it seems each side are working towards avoiding that scenario.
ESPN NFL Dwell mentioned Tagovailoa’s contract scenario on Tuesday, beginning with a take a look at the marketplace for quarterbacks and the place a brand new deal for Miami’s quarterback, coming off his first Professional Bowl choice, might fall. Host Hannah Storm broke down the present quarterback market, trying on the prime seven gamers, with the highest 5 having signed new contracts value over $50 million per season within the final two years. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tops the listing at $55 million per season, adopted 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 listing continues with the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson at $52 million and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts at $51 million. The older contracts embody the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray at $46.1 million and the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson at $46 million.
Storm highlighted the listing doesn’t embody Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s tied with Kirk Cousins at $45 million, the eighth highest annual wage.
Storm then turned the dialogue to Jeff Darlington, ESPN NFL reporter and former Dolphins beat reporter, to get a greater thought of the place the Dolphins and Tagovailoa stand of their negotiations. Darlington was agency in his expectation {that a} new contract will get achieved this 12 months, and that Miami is dedicated to Tagovailoa, even with needing to exceed $50 million per season.
“I don’t know if this must be repeated or not, however Tua is their man transferring ahead,” Darlington acknowledged. “This isn’t a matter of ‘Nicely, we are able to simply transfer ahead this 12 months and never get this deal achieved.’ Everbody is on the identical web page. That is simply a kind of issues the place we simply have to provide it time. I’d anticipate by mid-July, earlier than coaching camp begins, we’ll see Tua with a brand new contract in Miami.”
Tim Hasselbeck, a former NFL quarterback and present analyst for ESPN, added some conjecture that the Dolphins would possibly really be ready to see who might be out there subsequent 12 months as an improve to Tagaovailoa. Initially requested if the Dolphins would possibly nonetheless have harm issues in the case of their present quarterback, Hasselbeck denied that, however then turned to different potentialities. “I really don’t assume the harm historical past ought to play a complete lot into the choice, whether or not or not they wish to go along with him, he replied. “I feel the larger difficulty is do you’re feeling like he’s the man, one of the best out there man, and do you assume, due to what the market is, that he’s value paying over $50 million to. I additionally assume this, Miami is a very enticing place due to the gamers which might be there and, we’ve been joking about it, however it’s an revenue tax free state. There are quite a lot of elements, it’s some huge cash and we’re speaking quite a lot of taxes.”
He continued, figuring out different doable quarterbacks Miami would possibly take into account, saying, “The truth of it’s, once you take a look at guys who might be out there, I’m not saying all these guys will likely be, however a 12 months from now, is it Dak Prescott, by the way in which, is it Aaron Rodgers, is it the following group, you understand the Drew Locks – does he play some and play properly, does he earn an opportunity to be a starter someplace – and Mac Jones. There are guys. Deshaun Watson, what’s that going to appear to be after what occurs in Cleveland this 12 months? The market, I feel, goes to look completely different by way of who might probably be out there a 12 months from now. So racing to pay Tua over $50 million a 12 months when there may be in all probability going to be an inflow of quarterbacks that perhaps might play at that very same stage, or higher, I’m a bit stunned to listen to Jeff say Miami is for certain all in on Tua. Particularly after I see Tua’s response to his frustration about not having a deal. That’s not a quarterback that is aware of one thing is about to occur.”
Darlington jumped again in instantly, restating that there isn’t a query within the Dolphins group that they are going to be transferring ahead with Tagovailoa, “I wish to be very clear. I perceive the place you’re coming from. I had related questions. The truth is, you concentrate on Tua coming off this subsequent 12 months, if he does succeed, lots of people will tie that to (Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel, and perhaps that modifications his market. That’s why I really feel it is very important be emphatic about this. The Dolphins have determined Tua is their long-term man, they usually acknowledge it will value them above $50 million. Simply to be very clear, that is the crew’s method to those negotiations going ahead this summer time.”
Darlington, who might be the reporter with the closest ties to the Dolphins at ESPN, clearly believes Miami and Tagovailoa will attain a deal within the subsequent month or so. He doesn’t see any means the Dolphins usually are not going to have Tagovailoa as their quarterback in 2025 and past, even when Hasselbeck appears to assume there might be different choices out there.
The dialog continued with former NFL defensive finish Marcus Spears questioning if Tagovailoa is a $50 million a 12 months quarterback at the same time as he’s thought-about a top-tier participant in addition to a flip towards the load loss Tagovailoa has had this offseason. You may take a look at the complete dialogue right here:
