Whether the Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can come to an agreement on a new contract extension before to the start of the season is one of the largest uncertainties facing the team as training camp approaches. I have to admit that I’m sick of hearing, reading, and seeing this question. Given that Tagovailoa has a contract for his final season, I can see why.
It’s also understandable that he wants to be paid what the current market would bear for a quarterback: roughly $250 million, with guaranteed income of between $175 and $200 million.
But that doesn’t mean the Dolphins should pay quarterback Tagovailoa for it, simply because teammates like Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff have contracts like that. Top quarterbacks should be the ones who get paid that kind of money, and neither Goff nor Lawrence nor Tagovailoa are.
Justin Herbert signed a large contract prior to the previous season, and while I am aware of his talent, he isn’t performing at the level of a top quarterback, even with a wealth of talent surrounding him. There are still those who believe that the Dolphins chose Tagovailoa over Herbert in error. I am not among them. I believe that by acquiring Tagovailoa, the Dolphins made the proper choice.
With each passing year in the league, Tagovailoa has improved. The previous season, he led the Dolphins to the postseason for the second consecutive year with over 4,600 yards and 29 touchdown passes. Mike McDaniel’s approach has allowed Tagovailoa to thrive and produce impressive results. The club has lost important games the past two seasons, and Tua’s play has deteriorated in the final month of the season, so I’m not willing to give him the market value.
I am aware that Tagovailoa missed certain games in 2022, including the final two regular-season games and the playoff match. But starting with the team’s five-game losing streak, when they were 8-3, Tagovailoa was the quarterback. In the four games he participated in, his play was subpar prior to his concussion.
The Dolphins coughed the division championship away last year and finished 10-3 in the last month of the season before losing badly in the wild-card round. I am aware of the injuries the Dolphins have had, particularly to their wide receivers, but Tagovailoa had an opportunity to improve his game toward the end of the season, and he failed in a crucial situation when a quarterback makes his money.
Tagovailoa participated in the complete football season for the first time in his career and has worked hard in the off-season to maintain his physical fitness. It all boils down to how he plays in the latter part of the season and whether or not he can improve when the game is close, and thus far, the answer is no.
General Manager of the Dolphins Chris Grier is aware of this. He drafted Tagovailoa, therefore I’m sure he wants to pay him, but at what cost?
Grier doesn’t seem to be deviating from his perceived figure. It makes sense, in my opinion, to pay for a quarterback who, despite his progress, is unable to perform well in pivotal games toward the end of the season. After all, he observes other quarterbacks who are making big money but haven’t accomplished anything.
As the rest of the team is keeping a close eye on this, Grier is undoubtedly treading carefully. Nonetheless, Grier must also declare his willingness to pay a player who hasn’t played at the highest level of performance toward the end of the season but is still in a premium position.
So be it if Tagovailoa shows up to camp, enters the season without a contract, and gets upset. Perhaps it inspires and pushes him in the same way that it did for Joe Flacco when he was in the final year of his contract and the Baltimore Ravens were unable to come to an agreement with him in 2012. Flacco improved his performance, the Ravens prevailed in the Super Bowl, and he was awarded a new deal.
Grant Tagovailoa his wish if he can accomplish something similar; but, do not overpay him because his colleagues are receiving compensation for services rendered even if they haven’t produced any results.
Get this squad over the halfway point of the season and pay Tagovailoa, if he wishes to be the face of the team for the next ten years.