Is this how someone is rewarded for leading the NFL in passing yards the previous season? For months, the Miami Dolphins have been trying to work on a new contract with Tua Tagovailoa. Nothing has gone right in the negotiations and while Tagovailoa showed up for minicamp, you could tell he was a bit annoyed with the process.
Him saying, 'the market is the market' went ahead and told you that he's expecting to be paid like one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL - potentially the highest. However, per ESPN's Jeff Darlington, Chris Grier doesn't appear to care too much about what Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence received. If that's the case, then the former Miami first-round pick has every right to be upset with his general manager.
"You've got a situation because right now the Dolphins are not offering the contract that is the market value."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 25, 2024
—@JeffDarlington on Tua Tagovailoa's contract situation in Miami 👀 pic.twitter.com/mJNSim86Zr
The Dolphins appear to be low-balling quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
If Darlington's report is accurate and Miami isn't offering Tagovailoa a 'market value' deal, then he 100 percent has every right to feel insulted. Yes, you can make the argument that Tagovailoa has dealt with multiple injuries in the past and he hasn't been reliable in staying on the field.
However, are we just going to ignore the fact that he led the NFL in multiple categories last season and had his team looking like a Super Bowl threat for most of the year. We understand the Dolphins didn't win a postseason game and haven't done so in 24 years.
With that said, that's not on Tua. If anything, he gives this team the best chance to end that drought, win the AFC East in 2024 and make a Super Bowl splash. Imagine this squad without Tagovailoa and you can't confidently say that the offense won't be majorly impacted. Who's going to run the offense, Mike White or Skylar Thompson?
It doesn't matter if the aerial attack features Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Odell Beckham Jr. If White or Thompson ends up starting for most of the season, this team will go nowhere fast. Grier needs to make Tagovailoa happy as soon as possible and put an end to this drama. The longer he waits to do so, the more annoyed his standout QB is going to be.