Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the most polarizing QBs in recent years. While neutrals find him decent enough, Dolphins fans adore him to the moon. There’s never a consensus or clarity on his quality, and this back and forth has led to the QB being in his final year of contract this season. While the delay in his extension is a concern for both the QB and his fans, it’s worth noting that Tua’s next contract could have a butterfly effect on Tyreek Hill — another Dolphins player seeking a massive extension.
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Last season saw Tua lead the NFL in passing amongst the Quarterbacks. For Miami fans, this metric is enough to extend their star QB heftily, as it shows that he fits perfectly under HC McDaniel’s system. But as Gregg Rosenthal in his podcast noted, this was also the first ever fully healthy season for Tua.
While Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, who were part of Tua’s QB class in the 2020 draft, are currently on $200 million+ contracts, paying Tua the same amount, given his injury concerns and doubts about his versatility, makes it tough for the Dolphins.
Moreover, as Rosenthal noted, there might be an internal belief in Miami that if Tua enters the market, he won’t secure a contract larger than $200 million.
Thus, considering all these factors, the contract extension talks between Miami and Tua have been progressing at a snail’s pace. However, at the same time, this pace is not favorable for Tyreek. Having signed a massive $120 million contract in 2022, the former Chiefs player has time and time again confirmed that he wants a revised salary structure extension.
Hill knows that his prime years are now, therefore, he wants to leverage the most before he hits the final year of his contract next year. But with Tua’s extension expected to cost north of $45 million, analysts like George wonder if there will be enough space for the Dolphins to extend Hill to a Justin Jefferson-level contract.
Arguably, the sooner the contract talks are resolved for Tua, the more clarity Tyreek and his agent will have about their next payday. Yet, the problems don’t end here for the Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins Need To Answer Serious Questions
As the Dolphins start their training camp today, there are a host of decisions that they need to take. For starters, the Dolphins haven’t signed an apt replacement for one of their star defensive linemen Christian Wilkins.
Moreover, the club also lost multiple starters in the front seven like Andrew Van Ginkel, Raekwon Davis, and Jerome Baker. As of today, there is no clarity on what the Dolphins’ new front seven will look like.
Secondly, and perhaps the most important question in every Miami fan’s mind, is how well Odell Beckham Jr. will gel with Tua. Hill and Waddle have an excellent rapport with Tagovailoa, but the same cannot be said for Beckham, who has been struggling to make a comeback.
That said, it will be interesting to see how the Dolphins tackle these intricate dilemmas before the coming season. It is surely going to be a busy and overwhelming few months for the Miami-based team both on and off the field.
