Dolphins make Tua Tagovailoa contract decision

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won’t sign a contract extension before the next NFL offseason at the earliest. 

As shared by Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that contract talks with Tagovailoa are paused until after the upcoming campaign. 

“Let’s just let him play out the season and then attack that in the offseason,” Grier said about an agreement he ultimately made with Tagovailoa’s camp. 

Tagovailoa is set to earn roughly $9.6M for this season per the terms of his rookie contract. This past spring, the Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option attached to that deal that guarantees the 2020 first-round draft pick around $23.2M for the 2024 campaign. 

Statistically speaking, Tagovailoa enjoyed his best NFL season, to date, in his first playing under head coach Mike McDaniel. Per ESPN stats, the 25-year-old ended the 2022 regular season ranked first among qualified players with an average of 8.9 yards per pass attempt and a 105.5 passer rating. Tagovailoa was also third with a 70.6 adjusted QBR. 

Of course, one can’t talk about Tagovailoa’s long-term future without mentioning the fact he suffered a minimum of two reported concussions last season and started just 13 of a possible 18 games, including the playoffs. He said in July that he “wants to prove to myself that I deserve whatever I get” regarding a second NFL contract and indicated at that time he was in no hurry to put pen to paper on a deal even though other signal-callers signed big-money agreements this offseason.

McDaniel insisted last week the Dolphins “are getting the absolute best version of Tua that’s existed” as it pertains to “every metric of strength that is measured.” That’s all well and good for training camp and preseason play, but Tagovailoa now has to show he can consistently stay in the lineup beginning with the Week 1 matchup at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 10.