The Dolphins need to get Tua Tagovailoa’s deal done now

There could be seismic consequences to not completing an extension during training camp.

MIAMI GARDENS - The Miami Dolphins completed the second day of training camp, but there was one big difference from the first day. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did not throw in any drills, 7 on 7’s or 11 on 11’s.

This “hold-in” by the Dolphins quarterback comes amid a contract dispute between the quarterback and the team. Although the Dolphins and Tagovailoa’s agent are in negotiations and still in daily contact, they are not close to settling on a deal.

Another report suggests the Dolphins have not “offered market value” in the range of the Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence deals.

With Tagovailoa not participating in the second day of training camp, both sides of the table are now beginning to flex their leverage muscles and checking to see if the other side blinks first. It’s about to get messy.

Get It Done Now

At the start of the offseason, most speculated that Tagovailoa and the Dolphins would get a contract worked out in the vicinity of the $50 million range, but circumstances took a turn when the salary cap almost doubled in percentage of growth over the yearly average.

Chris Kouffman alluded to this on X and explained what it now looked like for both sides.

What does this mean for the Dolphins and Tagovailoa? It means the Tagovailoa isn’t going to settle for what was previously thought to be a good deal at the start of the offseason, and he has every right to feel this way.

Teams usually like to get their franchise quarterbacks done early. The longer you wait, the more you’ll end up paying. Jerry Jones could attest to that with the Dak Prescott deal in 2021.

What Are The Options

There are a couple of ways this could play out for the Dolphins.

Option 1: Pay Tagovailoa around $55 million annually with similar guarantees to the Trevor Lawrence deal. With this option, your franchise quarterback is happy and focused on the season.

You may be rolling the dice on his health, but every quarterback in the league is one play from being injured. That’s just the nature of the position. You may also be overpaying right now, but in a few years, this deal will end up aging like a fine wine.

Option 2: Let Tagovailoa play out his fifth-year option. The problem with this play is that if he puts up similar numbers and gets a playoff win, you’re stuck in the same situation but worse.

The salary cap will keep going up, and there’s no guarantee it’ll be closer to 7% rather than the 13% jump from 2023 to 2024, as Kouffman referred to. This time next year, $55 million becomes the floor of the deal instead of the sweet spot.

By then, Jordan Love will have his deal, and other top quarterbacks may look for new deals compared to what was made this offseason. The Dolphins could be paying closer to $60 million annually next year, and that’ll be even harder to stomach.

Option 3: Dolphins dig in their heels and decide that Taopvailoa is not worth $55+ million annually with high guaranteed money. They play out the season with a frustrated quarterback who’s incentivized to do what he can to stay healthy. 2024 is a hit-or-miss season, a roll of the dice.

After that, they could hit him with a franchise tag or transition tag and hope no one bids against them, as Omar Kelly said, or make him outright available after this year.

With that option, they’d be losing the best quarterback they’ve had in 25 years, starting from scratch at the most important position.

There’s always a chance a quarterback comes available that could fit just as well as Matt Stafford did with the Los Angeles Rams or hit on a late pick like the San Fransisco 49ers did with Brock Purdy, but those are exceptions to the rule.

What’s The Move

The move is to bite the bullet and pay Tua Tagovailoa. Get this deal done now. There’s enough evidence that he is a franchise quarterback who can lead the team for the foreseeable future.

He’s still young and getting better every year. He has the backing of the team and the coaching staff. He is this team’s leader, and dependent on him when it equates to winning.

Roll this dice on him, look back in a few years, and know you saved some money on your franchise quarterback before inflation hits the quarterback position again next year.