The Miami Dolphins selected quarterback Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is currently in the final year of his rookie deal, but it appears that the player and the team are not close to agreeing on a contract extension at this stage of the offseason.
The quarterback and the Dolphins are negotiating a contract, but the most recent reports on the talks were not positive. Even worse, according to ESPN expert Jeff Darlington on Tuesday’s NFL Live, the team’s extension proposal to Tagovailoa isn’t even close to the extensions that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions gave to Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff this offseason.
“Right now, the Dolphins are not offering him (Tua Tagovailoa) the contract that is the market value,” Darlington stated. “They’re not in the same category as Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff, based on my conversations.”
The debate over whether or not Goff would be a long-term option in Detroit was put to rest last month when the Lions signed him to a four-year, $212 million contract. Goff’s contract has an average annual worth of $53 million, making him the second-highest-paid player in the NFL at the time, only next to Joe Burrow.
In a similar vein, quarterback Lawrence and the Jaguars agreed to a new $275 million, five-year deal extension this month. With the agreement, he will now receive $55 million a year, making him, along with Burrow, the highest-paid player in the league.
The Dolphins’ decision-makers have often stated that they hope to reach an agreement with Tagovailoa ahead of the 2024 season. However, there may be a problem if they do not offer him anything close to what Goff and Lawrence will make under their new contracts.
Darlington emphasized that talks are still in progress and could take a new direction quickly. He is also unsure of the exact figures involved in negotiations between Miami and Tagovailoa, but he thinks further effort is necessary for the two parties to come to an agreement
“I’ve long been optimistic about Tua Tagovailoa getting this deal done,” Darlington stated. “These things usually get done, so I’m not saying it won’t be done. But, Tua said, “The market is the market,” which is the five words that are currently hanging over this contract agreement.”
Does Tua Tagovailoa deserve a big contract with the Dolphins?
It’s difficult to argue that Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t deserve a sizable increase given the quarterback market at the moment.
Tagovailoa’s third season in Miami was cut short by a worrying head injury, but he has since recovered magnificently. The quarterback had the most passing yards (4,624) of any quarterback in the league last season. He also recorded a career-high 29 TDs and a stellar 101.1 quarterback rating.
Given that Lawrence and Goff are now among the highest-paid players in the league, Tua Tagovailoa has the right to demand the market value for quarterbacks on his new contract.
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