MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins had no choice. They had to pay Tua Tagovailoa.
His four-year contract extension — worth $212.4 million, with $167 million guaranteed — is a franchise-altering investment, no doubt. And given his injury history, it’s certainly not without risk.
But Miami’s decision-makers knew that the cost of starting from scratch at the position would have been way higher.
Why the Miami Dolphins Were Smart To Extend Tua Tagovailoa
The Dolphins spent close to a quarter century in the quarterback wilderness after Dan Marino’s retirement. They weren’t about to go back.
So they made a historic commitment to a player who, before his run of brutal health luck began in 2019, was viewed by many as a generational talent.
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That long-ago evaluation seemed foolish three years ago when Brian Flores was so sure Tagovailoa wasn’t the guy that he tried to replace him with Deshaun Watson.
But Tagovailoa’s career path should forever prove that luck and organizational support are just as important as ability. He has since blossomed into a bona fide star, leading the NFL in passing and earning his first Pro Bowl bid in 2023.
Tagovailoa, a consummate professional, deserves a lion’s share of the credit for the reversal.
But the Dolphins have worked just as hard to improve his environment. The arrival of Mike McDaniel in 2022 reset Tagovailoa’s entire football outlook. He finally has a coach who has his back and a roster loaded with players who perfectly fit his game.
Tyreek Hill never had 1,700 receiving yards under Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. He’s surpassed that benchmark in each of his first two seasons with the Dolphins — the only player in NFL history to do so.
Put another way, Hill has benefitted as much by playing for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins as Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have benefited from Hill’s arrival.
But the No. 1 thing the Tagovailoa extension means is this: The Dolphins’ window will not close whenever Hill’s skills diminish. Tagovailoa has never had a losing season as an NFL quarterback, a time that predates the Cheetah’s arrival.
As long as the Dolphins have Tagovailoa and McDaniel, they will have a chance at the playoffs.
Miami’s Salary Cap Outlook
Tagovailoa’s new contract is fat, yes. It’s the largest in franchise history and includes the eighth-most guaranteed money ($167 million) ever awarded to an NFL player.
So the Dolphins will need to be prudent in how they spend elsewhere, given the league’s salary cap constraints.
But the Tagovailoa deal in no way hurts their ability to compete for future championships, assuming he holds up his end of the bargain.
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Spotrac estimates the NFL’s cap will grow by roughly a third over the life of Tagovailoa’s extension.
So the Dolphins should have plenty of money to build around their QB, and in three years, his $53.1 million AAV — the third-most in league history — might not even rank in the top 10 league-wide.
Put another way: This was a good deal for Tagovailoa. But even more so, it was a good deal for the Miami Dolphins.