MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Tua Tagovailoa contact drama is over. And in the end, the Miami Dolphins quarterback got what he wanted: A market-value deal.
Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa Land on 4-Year Extension
Tagovailoa on Friday agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension. But the important number is the guaranteed money total — a robust $167 million guaranteed.
That means Tagovailoa will be under contract through the 2028 season, and will probably be on the roster through at least 2027. Assuming the reported contract numbers are accurate, all but the final year is largely guaranteed.
“I just wanted to say I agreed to a contract extension with the Miami Dolphins,” Tagovailoa said on Instagram. “I want to give a big shoutout to [Dolphins owner Stephen] Ross. I want to thank Chris Grier, Brandon Shore for working endlessly on this deal.
“I want to thank Mike McDaniel for believing in me. I want to thank all my other coaches as well.”
Tagovailoa also thanked his teammates “for believing in me, for also supporting me throughout this process.”
BREAKING: Tua Tagovailoa has agreed to the largest 4-year extension in NFL history worth $212.4M / $167M Guaranteed 🚨#StraightFromTheSource#GoatFarmMedia pic.twitter.com/FPUTFylBLa
— G.O.A.T. Farm Sports (@GOATfarmmedia) July 26, 2024
The Tagovailoa deal makes him the third-highest-paid player in NFL history on an AAV basis behind the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, who both signed deals in the last 12 months that pay them $55 million annually.
The agreement ends an at-times contentious negotiation that dragged on for more than a year.
Tagovailoa had staged a hold-in for the first two days of the Dolphins’ minicamp — practicing some on Wednesday but not at all on Thursday — as a leverage play to get this deal past the finish line.
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Perhaps hinting that a deal was imminent, Tagovailoa was back on the field for all of Dolphins practice Friday and was electric. He completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill early in practice and was sharp throughout.
A short time later, he gave his blessing to a contract that makes him by far the highest-paid player in franchise history.