Time is running out for Chris Grier to end the Dolphins-Tua Tagovailoa drama

The clock is ticking. With Miami Dolphins rookies reporting to South Florida for camp, the veterans will be right behind them on July 23. Then on July 24, the first day of practice will take place and the full focus of this team will be on getting ready for the start of the new season.

However, there could end up being a massive holdup for things. What's going to happen with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa? This is the $1 million question that everyone has on their minds. GM Chris Grier and Tagovailoa's reps can't seem to meet in the middle when it comes to contract talks.

Per multiple reports, the Dolphins and Grier aren't willing to give Tua 'market value' for his next deal, which would be around $55 million per season. If these two sides don't agree to terms, could Tagovailoa end up being a training camp holdout? That's the main worry for a lot of people.

Tua Tagovailoa still doesn't have a new deal with training camp here

Leading up to July 23, the day vets report for camp, there's going to be a ton of concern over the status of Miami's star signal-caller. Tagovailoa reported for mandatory minicamp, which calmed a lot of nerves. However, there's a big difference between showing up in June and showing up in late July.

Grier has made it clear that he wants to keep Tagovailoa around for the long haul, but he wants to do so at the right price. Tagovailoa seemed a bit frustrated the last time he spoke with the media - he has seen the kinds of deals Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence have received this offseason.

The big knock on Tagovailoa is that he's had trouble staying healthy, but that wasn't the case in 2023. He powered the Dolphins to the postseason for the second consecutive year, this time leading the NFL in passing yards. Tagovailoa continues to get bashed for failing to win a playoff game, but beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead in January is no easy task.

Tyreek Hill is also hoping for a pay raise from Grier, but he recently defended his quarterback and passionately pushed for him to be paid like one of the top QBs in the game. At the end of the day, it's on Grier to make that happen for him.

The next few days are going to be critical for Grier and the Dolphins. If he makes Tagovailoa happy, then boom, all will be forgotten and everyone can hug it out and prepare for what should be a memorable 2024. If he doesn't, he'll risk his signal-caller sitting out camp and potentially have things lead all the way up to Week 1. The latter simply can't happen. Grier needs to pay Tagovailoa and he needs to do it as soon as possible.