“Big, Ugly, Public Thing”: Tua Tagovailoa’s Contract Controversy Catches Fire

Tua Tagovailoa‘s contract negotiations came under the limelight exactly a day after Jared Goff’s record-breaking extension was announced. Mike Florio and Chris Simms, however, surmise that this leak was strategically placed so that the conversation takes up the top pedestal this off-season.

For a while, the Dolphins and the starting quarterback were able to keep a lid on things—no leaks from anywhere. Given where he is in his career trajectory, negotiations were surely taking place, but they were not brought to the media’s attention.

However, Mike Florio believes that someone in Tua’s camp was not at all happy with things being under wraps and wanted things to get public. The PFT host notes,

“I think there was kind of a tenuous truce between the team and Tua; Let’s just keep this all quiet, we understand you’re not gonna wanna be here until you get your contract. We don’t need to have this being a big, ugly, public thing. Well, it is now in the process of becoming a big, ugly thing.”

Notably, if Tua Tagovailoa had not reported to practice on Monday, it would have been a clear indicator that he was getting ready to rumble. The only true leverage he holds is sitting out and not giving Mike McDaniel’s offense a chance to get into a rhythm. However, as it turns out, numerous social media accounts are reporting that he made it pre-OTA practices.

Tua Tagovailoa’s is at the Miami Dolphins training facilities for the start of OTAs (@DMRussini) #GoFins pic.twitter.com/3FR7uNhV57

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) May 20, 2024

All for a contract that most believe is very complicated to navigate. Much like the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, there are caveats to giving Tua an all-out starting QB contract.

Chris Simms Lists Down the Caveats of Tua Tagovailoa’s Contract

According to the former Tampa Bay quarterback, the Dolphins cannot outright go and anoint Tagovailoa. Yes, they saw last year that he could play through an entire year unhurt and carry them far, but the sample size isn’t big enough to award the big numbers.

Simms pointed out three important things that might hinder the top line of Tua’s contract. He even asserted that the situation has the chance to become one of the most polarizing debates of the off-season.

And if there are any old-school evaluators still left in the Miami camp, they will not be comfortable with the price tag attached to the big quarterbacks nowadays and Tua’s stature. He’s not a big-sized QB who can get in the pocket and sling it. He depends on his legs and athleticism to get his due yards, and he has not shown that he can stay healthy throughout more than one season. Thus, throwing $45 million his way will be a gamble.

And whether the Miami front office will be willing to make that gamble is dicey. If the Tua camp is arguing with the Goff contract in mind, then according to Simms, they should know that Tagovailoa is not Jared Goff, and must negotiate an extension from that perspective.

If Tagovailoa takes that into consideration, we will find out in due time. But this storyline does have the potential to become the big one for this off-season.