Concerns about the Miami Dolphins potentially locking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa down with a long-term contract deal this offseason were recently voiced by an insider.
According to a purported “source familiar with front office operations,” players don’t generally get more durable as they age, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN reported. “In general, you will experience hurt again if you have already experienced hurt. Tua merits a great deal of praise for playing the whole season this year. All I can say is that I’m relieved not to be the one approving his payment.”
After being selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, Tagovailoa made his professional debut in every regular season game the previous year. Since Mike McDaniel took over as Miami’s head coach in February 2022, Tagovailoa has put up excellent results. In particular, according to Pro-Football-Reference, Tagovailoa had 4,624 passing yards at the end of the 2023 season, which put him atop the NFL rankings. With 29 passing touchdowns, he was tied for fifth place. His 101.1 passer rating also placed him fifth.
Naturally, these figures only provide part of the narrative of Tagovailoa. Before he experienced at least two documented concussions during the 2022 season, the 26-year-old had a concerning and protracted injury history that made him think about ending his playing career. Tagovailoa avoided such setbacks last season by bulking up and practicing in jiu-jitsu, but there is still concern that he might be one hit away from becoming a spectator for more than a few games.
Earlier in the summer, there were rumors that Daniel Jones, the quarterback for the New York Giants, inked a four-year contract worth up to $160 million. Tagovailoa’s camp may aim to outbid Jones for that deal. That was prior to Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff being awarded a four-year contract this spring that guaranteed $170 million and had a potential value of $212 million.
A contract counsel informed Louis-Jacques that the Dolphins would likely want to include clauses pertaining to signing bonuses, basic salaries, workout bonuses, and per-game roster bonuses in the agreement between Tagovailoa’s representation and the team. “Per-game roster bonus is high because of his health — but the agent side will balk at it.”
Since Tagovailoa’s contract is coming to an end, Miami may decide to wait it out and apply the franchise tag in order to keep him on staff the following season. By doing this, Tagovailoa might become more expensive in the future, but he would also have to demonstrate that his injury problems from the previous season were not an anomaly.
