Despite Tua Tagovailoa’s Carefree Claims, Dolphins QB Oozes Envy After Roaring at Contract Question: “I’m Not Blind”

While Dak Prescott’s contract situation had everyone in two minds, it’s Tua Tagovailoa who has also got the Miami Dolphins and the fans worried. However, the Dolphins’ signal-caller is positive that he will get some traction going on his contract before the training camp ends. The QB appeared in a presser recently and shared the progress of his contract negotiations.

Tagovailoa, who inked a 4-year $30.2 million rookie deal with the Miami Dolphins, seems to be consistently confident and nonchalant about his last year with the team under current circumstances. However, the QB recently expressed a sudden reaction that he’s wary of the market and is relying on the team’s goodwill to an extent.

“I’m not blind to people that are in my position that are getting paid. Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it but there’s a lot of discussions that we’ve had that, you know, we’re trying to move that thing into the right direction where we can both be happy, so,” said the QB.

Tagovailoa made a mark in the league during the 2023 season, amassing 4,624 yards, and 29 touchdowns while only throwing 14 picks. Last season was his career high in terms of stats and the team has been in the wild-card round of the playoffs since the last two seasons, showing the impact of the signal-caller. While this is something that is also accredited to the weapons around him like Tyreek Hill, it is hard to sideline Tua’s contributions amidst the growing standard of the National Football League.

The off-season contract blues started when Kirk Cousins got a whopping 4-year $180 million contract to sign with the Falcons. It was soon followed by Jared Goff, who inked a 4-year $212 million deal with $170 million in guarantees. Goff became the second-highest-paid QB after he ended a 3-decade playoff drought for the Detroit Lions and he’s just behind Joe Burrow in terms of his contract.

But coming back to the Miami signal caller, he might be in line for a new deal considering how he’s doing in the system setup. Recently, his teammate Jaylen Waddle also signed a 3-year $84.75 million extension with $76 million guaranteed. Amidst all the conversations about his own experience, the captain of the side seemed thrilled for the receiver.

Tua Tagovailoa on Jaylen Waddle securing the bag!

The Dolphins QB was elated seeing the receiver getting the success he deserved. Waddle has never had a season short of a 1,000-yard and seeing this zeal, the Dolphins decided to keep him in the roster for the future. Tagovailoa was happy about his extension and even disclosed that the boys congratulated him on their “group chat.”

“I was excited. I texted him, and we all texted each other. Jaylen Ramsey, Terron Armstead, Reek [Tyreek Hill], we all texted each other in a group chat congratulating him, so,” said the QB. In return, Waddle was appreciative of what Tua had done for him and mentioned that the receiver wouldn’t have gotten an extension without his QB’s assistance.

“Tua’s my guy,” Waddle said at the Baptist Health Training Complex. “I’ve been saying that for a long time, without Tua, I don’t think I would have gotten the extension I got,” and also wished Tagovailoa success for his extension, stating, “I know everybody’s rooting for him. He’s our guy, so it makes sense to get it done.”

Recently, news broke out that the Dolphins have created about $37 million in cap space, and that too without adjusting Hill’s contract. Hence, players who were eyeing an extension have become more hopeful suddenly. However, there seems to be no concrete decision that the Dolphins plan to roll out. In light of this, Hill’s contract has also drawn a lot of attention ever since Mike Florio pointed out the flaws in his contract, calling it a “fugazi.”

Nonetheless, one thing is for sure, Tagovailoa and his receiver Tyreek Hill are the backbones of the Miami Dolphins, and keeping them happy will carry the team far further in their dream of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. The Dolphins haven’t played in a Conference Championship since the 1992 playoffs and now is the chance to increase the odds in their favor- choosing to keep the right weapons.