Miami Dolphins fans know the team is an absolute mess. They have been for the past two seasons, but realistically, the last two decades. Until something changes, and we see it, it's all fingers crossed and hope.
Jeff Darlington is one of the few national media members with a pulse on what's happening in Miami. During an interview with WQAM's The Joe Rose Show, the ESPN reporter discussed former coach Mike McDaniel and even brought to light that the Dolphins' front office had lost faith in the quarterback. Now, he is shining more light on the guy who got overpaid and who is responsible for it.
Jeff Darlington blames Miami Dolphins Chris Grier for Tua Tagovailoa contract mess
It's easy to blame the guy who is no longer with the team, but in this case, it's 100% accurate. Darlington points out that this should never have gotten to the point it is at. He doesn't blame McDaniel.
"In my opinion, the head coach's job is to fall in love with the quarterback and make him the best that he can be. That is what Mike did. That ultimately leaves the coach to say, this guy needs to get paid. That's the job. It's the job as the GM to say 'no, no.'"Jeff Darlington
That is absolutely correct, and what Grier did instead was go to Brandon Shore, who does the contracts, and tell him to do it. It was reported that Shore was against the Tagovailoa contract and didn't think they should give him one.
Darlington pointed out that Miami could have played him on the 5th-year option instead and then reassessed the situation. The problem is that at some point, Stephen Ross signed off on the deal, and he is paying for it now, literally.
The bigger bombshell, however, was what Darlington said about Tagovailoa. He called the situation "appalling."
"What happened with Tua is absolutely appalling. The way that went down. From multiple angles. "Jeff Darlington
Darlington said that while the coach should love the QB, he should never be in a position to say, we shouldn't pay him. "Once you do that and it gets out," said Darlington, "it's over."
"In the end, Tua basically said, 'Mike's not my guy', that guy got you paid, dude."Jeff Darlington
It wasn't a pretty breakup, that's for sure. When McDaniel decided to bench Tagovailoa, the quarterback wasn't happy. Clearly benched, Tagovailoa was thrown under the bus by McDaniel in what many saw as a hope to keep his job.
Miami could have taken the "We are out of the playoffs and want to get Quinn Ewers' experience" route. That didn't happen, but Tagovailoa's comments after the fact indicated he would welcome a trade.
The biggest problem, however, is that something changed with Tagovailoa after he got paid. He wasn't the same quarterback after the early 2024 concussion. His hip injury late in the season didn't help. Along the way, the quarterback that McDaniel had gone to Grier for didn't help his head coach. One is now somewhere else, and the other is on his way out, too.