Robert Griffin III Hints Tua Tagovailoa Took Less Money by Settling for $212.4 Million Deal

Miami Dolphins signed their biggest deal in franchise history as they extended Tua Tagovailoa with a four-year, $212.4 million deal. NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that the Dolphins’ #1 quarterback now has $167 million guaranteed money. In light of such a development, football analyst Robert Griffin III believes that the former no.5 pick in the draft “took less” money in a bid to become the franchise QB.

In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter), RGIII denoted that Tua had earned the “right to be the highest-paid player ever” but instead chose to settle for the $212.4 million extension. Moreover, the 34-year-old Griffin credited Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel for “rebuilding Tua’s confidence” and “bringing his aura back.”

Thank God Tua Tagovailoa finally got paid. Although he EARNED THE RIGHT to be the highest paid player ever, he took less and is the franchise QB Miami needed. Can’t say enough about the job Mike McDaniel did rebuilding Tua’s confidence. GAVE HIM HIS AURA BACK. Coaching matters. pic.twitter.com/qmUU4Pa1vI

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 26, 2024

Interestingly, the $53.1 million average annual salary places Tua fourth among the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. Packers’ Jordan Love ($55 million), Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence ($55 million) and Bengals’ Joe Burrow ($55 million) share the top 3 spots, respectively. 

It was expected that one among Tua, Jordan Love, or Dak Prescott would bag the $60 million-per-year contract. This was after the 2024 off-season saw the market going upward with Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence bagging historic $50M plus deals.

However, the fact that the Dolphins are already paying two stars with over $70 Million guaranteed money worked against Tua’s favor. Tyreek Hill ($72.2 Million) and Jaylen Waddle ($71.1 Million) are already earning big, which is why the Dolphins could not make their QB the highest-paid player in the NFL.

Well, with the Tua Tagovailoa deal finally done, how will QBs like Dak Prescott, who have pending deals, benefit from the extension?

Prescott in Spotlight After Tagovailoa Bags $212.4M Extension

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had two major takeaways from the Tua deal. For starters, he learned how his team can extend Dak Prescott without making him the highest-paid NFL QB, and also how The Cowboys can look for a balanced formula to retain Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, similar to how the Dolphins handled Tyreek, Tua, and Waddle.

At present, even though Prescott has signaled his desire to stay in Dallas during his Thursday presser, the Cowboys have not expressed their plan of action. With the Dolphins striking a deal before the season, there are high chances that Jerry Jones and co. will finalize Prescott’s contract before the start of the season, despite the November deadline.

Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa will be keen to justify his price tag and shut down the injury-prone player tag in the upcoming NFL season, while also helping the Dolphins accomplish their Super Bowl target.