Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier shared an update on a possible contract extension for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Grier on a contract extension for QB Tua Tagovailoa: “The goal is to have him here, long term, playing at a high level.”
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) January 15, 2024
Tagovailoa is under contract for the 2024 season, as the Dolphins exercised his fifth-year option prior to the 2023 season.
Still, the team could lock Tagovailoa up for the long haul by signing him to a contract extension in the offseason. It appears that Grier plans on keeping Tagovailoa for the long term.
The Dolphins took Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. This season, he had arguably his best campaign as a professional, throwing for an NFL-best 4,624 yards in the regular season. He completed a career-high 69.3 percent of his passes and threw for 29 touchdowns (also the best mark of his career).
This was also the first season of Tagovailoa’s career where he played in every single game. That’s a great sign for Miami after the left-handed quarterback dealt with head injuries in the 2022 season and missed the team’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
The Dolphins made the playoffs again this season, but they didn’t win a playoff game – losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night. Tagovailoa struggled in that game – which was played in extremely cold temperatures – completing just 20 of his 39 pass attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Still, it doesn’t seem that Tagovailoa’s struggles in his playoff debut are a concern for Grier and the franchise.
Miami will need to find a price point that works with Tagovailoa for the long haul without sacrificing the future of the team’s ability to build around him.
Tagovailoa has clearly taken a step forward as a player under head coach Mike McDaniel and with the addition of superstar receiver Tyreek Hill to the team’s offense.
At just 25 years old, Tagovailoa likely still has a lot of football ahead of him. The Dolphins clearly drafted him hoping that he could be a franchise player, and Tagovailoa has improved his passing yards and touchdowns numbers in each of his first four NFL seasons.
Miami has a lot of things to take care of this offseason to truly build a Super Bowl contender, but locking up Tagovailoa for the long term would give the franchise a sense of stability that would be helpful when attempting to build out the rest of the roster.
