You know what, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has no one to blame but himself. Everyone has been waiting for him to get things done with Tua Tagovailoa, but Grier's lack of urgency has been a bit concerning. Reports have stated things might not get done until mid-July.
Well, Grier sitting on his hand at foot has cost him big time. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat Miami to the punch in extending their star quarterback, giving Trevor Lawrence a five-year deal worth $275 million - yup, that's $55 million annually. What will Tagovailoa ask from the Miami front office now?
Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence reached agreement on a five-year, $275 million extension, including $200 million guaranteed - $142 million at signing, per source. pic.twitter.com/DfBwA7TSlz
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 13, 2024
The Jaguars have surely jacked up Tua Tagovailoa's Miami asking price
The details from Lawrence's contract are eye-opening: he's landed $275 million total, with $200 million guaranteed and a whopping $142 million at signing. This is an unreal amount of money and plenty of people are calling this a massive overpay from the Jacksonville front office.
However, we've got to keep in mind that the QB market has exploded over the past year, which is of course bad news for Grier and Co. With Lawrence taking home this kind of dough, Tagovailoa has all the leverage in his talks with Miami moving forward. Again, this is on Grier.
Tagovailoa has 100 percent been a better QB than Lawrence over the past two seasons. In 2023, Tagovailoa had his best year as a pro, leading the NFL in passing yards. This offseason, he's been fully focused on improving his mind and body, losing about 10-15 pounds.
What's been holding the signal-caller back is that the Dolphins haven't won a postseason game with him at the helm. With the Dolphins picking up his fifth-year option, some have made the case for Miami to let him play 2024 on that, and then discuss an extension next offseason depending on how the season goes.
That can't happen. Grier has wasted enough time not making his QB happy. He needs to do so as soon as possible, but there's no question the Lawrence deal has jacked up the price. Again, Grier has no one to blame but himself.