Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa reach long-term contract extension

The wait is over for the Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The two sides finally reached an agreement Friday afternoon on a long-term contract extension that will keep him leading the team’s offense for the foreseeable future.

The deal is reportedly for four years and $212.4 million, according to ESPN and NFL Network. He has $167 million guaranteed.

Earning the richest contract in Dolphins franchise history, the average annual value of $53.1 million makes him one of seven active quarterbacks surpassing the $50 million-per-year plateau.

Tagovailoa, who rarely posts on social media, released a video announcement shortly after news broke.

“I just wanted to say that I agreed to a contract extension with the Miami Dolphins,” Tagovailoa said. “Just want to give a big shoutout to Mr. Ross (owner Stephen Ross). Want to thank (executives) Chris Grier, Brandon Shore for working endlessly on this deal. Want to thank (coach) Mike McDaniel for believing in me, all my coaches, as well. Also want to give a big shoutout to my teammates for believing in me and also supporting me throughout this process, and also for the fans, as well.”

Tagovailoa’s extension status came into greater focus after the Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence agreed last month to a five-year, $275 million extension. His $55 million in average annual value and the $53 million average Jared Goff received from the Detroit Lions earlier this offseason put them up with the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.

The $53.1 million per year for Tagovailoa ranks him third in the NFL behind Burrow and Lawrence.

The situation between Tagovailoa and the Dolphins was only amplified after a report that the Dolphins were not offering Tagovailoa that market value for a quarterback this offseason.

The negotiations seemed to reach a boiling point at Thursday’s second practice of Dolphins training camp, when Tagovailoa sat out the day’s drills entirely. He returned to practice Friday and shined, connecting for a deep touchdown to star wide receiver Tyreek Hill on the first 11-on-11 pass he threw in camp.

While coming after the deals that Lawrence and Goff received, Tagovailoa earned his big payday before Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who isn’t practicing in Green Bay until the sides agree to terms.

Tagovailoa was entering the fifth and final season on his rookie contract in the fall of 2024, set to make $23.17 million on the fifth-year option before hitting the open market in 2025 if Miami had not secured him on a long-term deal.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, going back to the start of the offseason, always expressed a desire to keep the quarterback he drafted with the No. 5 pick in 2020 with the team for the long haul.

“We’ve been in communication since the offseason began,” Grier said at the NFL scouting combine. “There is no timeline on it. At the end of the day, you know how these deals get done. They are complicated deals.”

Grier said at the conclusion of the Dolphins’ 2023 season: “The goal is to have him here long term playing at a high level. That’s always the goal.”

Nonetheless, the lengthy process in the six months since the Dolphins’ season ended left Tagovailoa publicly frustrated as recently as the team’s mandatory minicamp that the two sides hadn’t gotten over the hump and finalized the deal.

He didn’t participate in 11-on-11 team drills during organized team activities and minicamp, and he missed a number of voluntary offseason workouts away from the team. At Wednesday’s first training camp practice before sitting out Thursday, he took snaps in 11-on-11 but only for handoffs on run plays.

Tagovailoa has had an eventful offseason, slimming down significantly to improve his mobility on the field in order to extend passing plays and working with personal quarterback coach John Beck in California to tweak his throwing motion with more efficient use of the hips.

Coming out of college at Alabama as a top quarterback prospect who was coming off a serious hip injury, Tagovailoa was a polarizing figure his first two NFL seasons. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores wasn’t all in on him, and Tagovailoa struggled with his confidence at times, despite the team having a winning record in 2020 and 2021.

Current Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel came into the fold in 2022 and highlighted Tagovailoa’s strengths in the offense. The addition of Hill also helped. In the past two seasons, Tagovailoa is 19-11, completing 67% of passes for 8,172 yards, 54 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

Even heading into the 2023 season, Tagovailoa still had questions surround him over his durability, but he made it through a full season healthy for the first time in his NFL career. It earned him his first Pro Bowl selection and put him in line for the lucrative extension he just signed.