Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and general manager Chris Grier are locked into a quarter-billion-dollar game of chicken, seeing who blinks first on Tua’s deal extension. They’re in the pits.
The latest report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is that Tua’s side has rejected at least one contract offer from the Dolphins, and I expect it won’t be the last.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported one Dolphins contract offer to Tua Tagovailoa that apparently hasn’t met the QB’s expectations.
He said Sunday morning on SportsCenter, as transcribed by Bleacher Report:
“He has missed some OTA* time, I’ve confirmed, and really it could depend on… https://t.co/FMQs1zOMA4
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) May 19, 2024
Earlier this month, the Dolphins and Tua got the ball rolling on his extension that could see the Miami QB get the most money in NFL history. As Joy Taylor said, he’s the next guy up and will get paid.
As easy as that sounds, the negotiating table is a tough place to be as a player. The team wants to keep the player for the immediate future but at the lowest price possible. The team will magnify every mistake or injury the player has had in the game thus far. They’ll lowball the player, and the agent will have to scrap and fight for every dollar over the team’s set price.
As I said, it’s tough, and the NFL is a business first and foremost.
To clarify the Fowler story, Tua has not missed OTA’s because it starts tomorrow, and he’s been at voluntary workouts. Fowler may have been a little mixed up on that front. The workouts are optional. If Tua has missed any time so far, it’s safe to think it’s not contract-related.
This sure looks like Tua at a VOLUNTARY workout, or did Miami sign a lefty Samoan QB I don’t know about?https://t.co/rquXbMJI1C
— Alfredo Arteaga (@Alf_Arteaga) May 17, 2024
Regarding Fowler’s report on the rejected offer, there isn’t a number on the years or yearly salary within the report. Most fans and journalists expect Tua to get between $52 – $55 million per year. In QB terms, that’s between Jared Goff and Joe Burrow money, which makes sense on its face.
As much as we love to look at annual salary, a better indicator of quarterback money, in my view, is the percentage of the total salary cap the quarterback takes up with their annual salary
QB Average Salary vs. League Salary Cap at Signing
1. J. Burrow, 24.4%
2. J. Allen, 23.5%
3. J. Herbert, 23.3%
4. L. Jackson, 23.1%
5. P. Mahomes, 22.7%
6. J. Hurts, 22.6%
7. K. Murray, 22.1%
8. D. Watson, 22%
9. D. Prescott, 21.9%
10. J. Goff, 20.7%— Spotrac (@spotrac) May 15, 2024
The 2024 NFL pay is $255.4 million. If you stick Tua’s total salary cap percentage in the middle of the top ten at around 22.7%, the annual salary of his deal extension would be $57.9 million, making Tua the highest-paid player in NFL history.
It’s fair for Tua’s camp to look closer to that number than the number the Dolphins are rolling out with at the start of negotiations.
Although Tua and the Dolphins got the ball going and are in negotiations, offers will get turned down on both sides and could easily bleed into the season.
The Dolphins have Tua under contract with his fifth-year option this year and can franchise tag him for up to three years. They won’t need to use more than one tag, but it gives the team extra time for a lengthy negotiation, and I don’t see the Dolphins caving in, so it doesn’t become a storyline during the season. Buckle up, kids. This could be a bumpy ride.
