The wait is over as the Miami Dolphins have signed their star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a new contract extension Friday that is four years, worth $212.4 million according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. He also posted on his X, formerly Twitter, account that the deal incudes $167 million guaranteed.
There have been constant talks and negotiations between the Dolphins and Tagovailoa for a long time as the University of Alabama product led the league in passing last season with 4,624 yards to go with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He was heavily active today in practice after not being involved in some drills the previous days to contact talks.
Tagovailoa now one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL
There is no doubt that Tagovailoa's camp felt that with other quarterbacks around the league getting sizable extensions like Detroit Lions signal-caller Jared Goff and Jacksonville Jaguars star Trevor Lawrence, he was up next. In terms of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league on an average annual value, he is the third highest paid at $53.1 million behind Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow ($55 million) and Lawrence ($55 million).
In terms of players that the 26-year old is ahead of, it is such quarterbacks as Goff ($53 million), Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson ($52 million), and Philadelphia Eagles star and fellow Crimson Tide alum Jalen Hurts ($51 million). Plus, in terms of any four-year contract extension in the history of the NFL, what Tagovailoa signed Friday was the biggest ever at $212.4 million according to Mike Garafolo.
In terms of what took so long for a deal to be done with training camp commencing currently, some believe it could have been hesitation on part of Miami with concerns about Tagovailoa's health history. On the other hand, last season was a huge step in the right direction as he played every game in the season where in the past, he did not eclipse 13 games in the NFL, even with injury issues at Alabama.
Tagovailoa and Dolphins can now focus on crucial season ahead
At any rate, Tagovailoa can now fully focus on the season ahead without the thought in the back of his mind of any contract negotiations and look to build off his best season yet in 2023. The Dolphins have been looking for a franchise quarterback to rely on since the retirement of the team's best player in history in Dan Marino in the 1990s where Tagovailoa was put in that pressure ever since he was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With such players around him as Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, DeVon Achane, and others, Miami is sure enough going to be an exciting offense again to watch this fall. They will try to build off their relatively impressive season where they went 11-6 which put them second in the AFC East as they were eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round.
The Dolphins start the upcoming season at home against an in-state rival in the Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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