Chris Grier continues to play hardball with Tua Tagovailoa and no one knows why

Training camp for the Miami Dolphins will begin for everyone soon, but Tua Tagovailoa still does not have a new contract and while it might be frustrating for his reps, fans are wondering why Chris Grier continues to play hardball with the wrong players.

There was no reason why Grier shouldn't have made a deal with Jaylen Waddle the day after De'Vonta Smith got his contract extension. The Dolphins waited, and they paid more. In 2023, Grier played hardball with Christian Wilkins, and as a result, Wilkins went from an $80 million contract to one over $100 million. The same thing happened with Robert Hunt.

Chris Grier is blowing it with how he's handled Tua Tagovailoa's new deal

Is Grier's hesitation with Tagovailoa because he blew it with Byron Jones and Xavien Howard's money? Is he simply overspent with his cap because of Waddle, Bradley Chubb, Jalen Ramsey, and Tyreek Hill's contract? Or is it something else?

If Grier thinks Tua is the future of the Dolphins, then pay him like he is. Wanting to lowball your franchise QB makes no sense. On the other hand, if he thinks Tagovailoa is not that guy, then trade him or play him this year and let him go. In other words, stop negotiating.

Fans love Tagovailoa, but some are hesitant about overpaying him. There are a lot of problems with his game, and he still needs to develop, but if Grier thinks he's only valuable at $45 to $49 million a season and not $50-$55 million, then why is he negotiating at all? This is a simple thing. If Grier wants him to be Miami's quarterback, he needs to pay him the elite quarterback salary.

As camp gets ready to start, it is likely that Tagovailoa will find a way to sit out, miss valuable time on the practice field, and at some point, Grier will cave like he always does and pay him what he wants, so why is he waiting? Some think that Grier is hoping to get verbiage in the contract that protects the Dolphins from future potential concussions or other injuries, but if he was so concerned about his QB's health, maybe he should invest more in the guys who are tasked with protecting him.

As time continues to tick away, the only winner in this is Tagovailoa. He can sit back, wait and force the Dolphins' hand. He can play on the fifth-year option and then leave after the season or he can sit out camp with a bogus injury because the Dolphins have no one behind him capable of leading the team. Seems to me, Grier is putting up a fight that he can't win.