Miami Dolphins Star Cleverly Pushes for Miami to Sign Tua Tagovailoa to Contract Extension

The Miami Dolphins have found themselves in a tricky situation regarding their star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa emerged in a big way in his first full season in 2023, securing an NFL-leading 4,624 passing yards. His 29 touchdowns were also good for fifth place amongst qualified quarterbacks.

Tagovailoa was granted his fifth-year option on his rookie contract by the Dolphins in 2023, which means he will make a fully guaranteed $23.17 million. However, after a stellar season, and showcasing he has only gotten better, the consensus is that he should receive a well-deserved contract extension.

Many pundits and analysts have been debating what Tagovailoa should get in terms of a contract, and if he should be paid like the top quarterbacks in the NFL. The highest-paid quarterbacks in the 2024 season are as follows:

1. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow: $55 million

2. Chargers QB Justin Herbert: $52.5 million

3. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: $52 million

4. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: $51 million

5. Broncos QB Russell Wilson: $49 million

While Tagovailoa might not be viewed as successful as Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, he is certainly on the same level as Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson. Tagovailoa’s contract extension should at least be in excess of $50 million annually.

A multitude of Tagovailoa’s teammates have backed him up, like wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who has praised his signal caller since he joined the Dolphins in 2022. The newest to jump to Tagovailoa’s defense is star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who cleverly pushed for the team to sign the quarterback to a new extension.

Ramsey posted an image of himself and Tagovailoa playing golf with one another on his Instagram story. The image itself is quite innocent, showcasing his scorecard for the game. What makes it special is the big letters near the bottom that say, “PAY TUA!!!!!”

Ramsey also tagged the Dolphins in the post to likely ensure that the team sees the not-so-subtle hint at pushing the organization to make good on giving Tagovailoa an extension. So far, general manager Chris Grier has stated that conversations are taking place to make this a reality, though it might take some time.

The Dolphins exited the 2023 season as a team with one of the worst cap room situations. They let star defensive lineman Christian Wilkins sign with the Las Vegas Raiders, and also cut longtime cornerback Xavien Howard. This led to the team being far more cap compliant, and resulted in a slew of free-agency moves.

As it stands right now, the Dolphins are near the bottom of the NFL with $2,916,052 in available cap space, per overthecap.com. This could lead to the team not being able to give Tagovailoa an extension yet.

They could defer the payment until the 2025 season in some manner, but Tagovailoa’s team is pushing for him to get an extension regardless of the situation.