The Detroit Lions clearly believe they can win a Super Bowl with Jared Goff.
And if the Miami Dolphins feel the same way about Tua Tagovailoa, they probably now know down to the decimal point what it will take to extend him this offseason.
Jared Goff’s Impact on Tua Tagovailoa Contract
Goff’s new contract extension — reportedly worth $212 million over four years, with $170 million guaranteed — makes him the second-highest-paid quarterback in history based on AAV ($53 million).
And given their similarities in style and performance, you can be sure that Tagovailoa will demand a Goff deal — at the very least — before even thinking about putting pen to paper this offseason.
In Goff’s three years with the Lions, he’s completed 66.5% of his passes with 78 touchdowns, 27 interceptions, a 7.3 yards-per-attempt average, and a 96.5 passer rating.
In Tagovailoa’s two seasons with Mike McDaniel as his coach, he’s completed 67.4% of his passes with 54 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, an 8.5 yards-per-attempt average, and a 102.9 rating.
Tua led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 (4,624). Goff was second with 4,575.
Goff was in the final year of his contract when the Lions decided to extend him. Tagovailoa likewise will be a free agent in March if the Dolphins don’t extend or franchise him.
And while Goff’s contract numbers are certainly jarring — he’s now the second-highest-paid player in NFL history despite coming in at 18th in the latest PFN quarterback rankings — it’s the new reality in an NFL with a record $255.4 million salary cap.
That 13% year-over-year bump suggests that Joe Burrow’s value in 2024 dollars is in the neighborhood of $62 million AAV — or 17% more than Goff just agreed to. So, seen through that lens, it’s hard to envision Tagovailoa taking a dime less than Goff — if he’d even be willing to go that low.
The Dolphins have been disciplined in their messaging about the Tagovailoa contract this offseason. But now that we’re two weeks clear of the NFL Draft, there likely is no bigger priority internally than working out a deal.
Many of Tagovailoa’s teammates want it to happen.
After a round of golf with Tagovailoa last week, Jalen Ramsey posted a photo of the scorecards to social media. Beneath the scores, a message scrawled in pencil:
“PAY TUA!!!!!”
