MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is not holding out of training camp. But that doesn’t mean his frustration over his stalled contract talks have abated.
Tagovailoa reported to his fifth training camp without a new deal — avoiding the $50,000 per day mandatory fine that would come with a holdout.
But don’t discount the possibility that he “holds in” — the term given to players who report but don’t practice in protest of their contract status.
Tua Tagovailoa at Miami Dolphins Training Camp?
Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill said he expects Tagovailoa to practice. “He’s in great spirits,” Hill said. “… He doesn’t want to miss his window.”
“Tua’s a guy that loves the game,” Jaylen Waddle added. “I don’t think it will be a distraction.”
Running back Raheem Mostert added that Tagovailoa deserves an extension, and that if he decides to hold-in, “it could be the right move.”
Tagovailoa has long believed he deserves a market-based contract and couldn’t hide his frustration that he hadn’t yet gotten one when he spoke to reporters last month. That displeasure has presumably grown in the time since.
Tagovailoa’s attendance at the team’s voluntary offseason program was intermittent, and when he did show up, he sat out team drills as a negotiating ploy. That was the case in the team’s mandatory minicamp, which he attended.
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Tagovailoa and Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love — who is conducting a hold-in — are both looking for long-term deals that will average north of $50 million annually.
It’s possible one or both become the highest-paid players in NFL history. signing deals that exceed the $55 million AAV deals signed by Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence.
While it’s unclear if the Dolphins and Tagovailoa have made significant progress since Tua spoke to reporters in June, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst struck an optimistic tone about a potential Love extension.
“I feel we’re close,” Gutekunst told Green Bay reporters.
Do the Dolphins feel the same way? Head coach Mike McDaniel will presumably shed more light on Wednesday when he speaks to reporters for the first time this camp.
“I’m not blind to people that are in my position that are getting paid,” Tagovailoa said last month. “Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it, but there’s a lot of discussion that we’ve had that we just are trying to move that thing into the right direction where we can both be happy.”