Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel offered an update on quarterback Tau Tagovailoa’s contract negotiations with the team and how he will proceed in training camp.
“Today, I’m expecting it to be kind of like OTAs, and we’ll take it from there,” McDaniel said.
According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Tagovailoa sat out 11-on-11 drills in the spring.
However, McDaniel did share some positive news when it comes to Tagovailoa working out a long-term deal with the franchise.
“Both sides are relentlessly working on it,” McDaniel said of the negotiations. “Those things take time.”
The Dolphins head coach also added some insight into his relationship with the star quarterback when it comes to contract negotiations.
“I’m not involved in those things,” McDaniel said. “I know where my place is in my relationship with him. My job is to focus on him getting better solely. I’m comfortable in my relationship with Tua. He can separate the business relationship. He knows our focus has to be on what it looks like when he’s playing football.”
Tagovailoa is under contract for the 2024 season since the Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option on his contract. However, the quarterback appears to be seeking a long-term deal for more financial security.
It makes sense that the former first-round pick would want a long-term deal, especially since he dealt with multiple head injuries in the 2022 season. Tagovailoa did bounce back to play in every Dolphins game in the 2023 campaign, but if he suffers an injury while playing on a one-year deal, it could significantly alter his NFL future.
While McDaniel said that he hasn’t reminded general manager Chris Grier about the importance of getting a deal done with the star quarterback, he did share that everyone is doing their best to make an agreement happen.
“Everyone realizes the importance to everyone; I don’t need to remind anyone of that,” McDaniel said. “Everyone is trying their best to get a deal done.”
Tagovailoa has been a huge part of Miami’s back-to-back playoff appearances in the 2022 season and 2023 campaign, playing some of the best football of his career in 2023.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa threw for an NFL-leading 4,624 yards last season, posting career-highs in completion percentage (69.3 percent) and touchdown passes (29). His play earned him the first Pro Bowl nod of his NFL career.
With Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Odell Beckham Jr. on the roster, the Dolphins certainly want to have their star quarterback leading the way for what could be an extremely high-powered offense.
