Tua Tagovailoa Told to Give Up Trevor Lawrence’s Dream for 3 Key Reasons by Chris Broussard

Players are getting renewed deals and the Miami Dolphins might be looking to pay Tua Tagovailoa at some point. His Florida rival Trevor Lawrence became one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the league and it’s one of the most controversial topics in the NFL these days. But while every quarterback, including Tagovailoa, is looking to take a huge wad of cash home, there’s one person who thinks that the Miami Dolphins QB isn’t all that.

Chris Broussard the associate of Nick Wright on the First Things First Show, spoke about Tagovailoa’s potential future contract and explained why his expectations might be a far cry from reality. It’s notable that without doing much in the playoffs or winning an MVP, let alone a Super Bowl, Tagovailoa is on the trajectory to become a $55 million-a-year QB. Or is he?

Broussard highlighted the QB’s 0-6 record in cold weather, his playoff losses, and insisted that he either settle below the market value or ball out this year to land a massive contract. Why? Miami might not be willing to match Trevor Lawrence or Joe Burrow’s 5-year $275 million extension. However, Tua has some perks that a lot of other quarterbacks do not.

“The market value reports that they don’t want to give you market value,” said Bruossard on First Things First and added, “That Nick, with $53-$55 million a year with Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff deals and stuff and they don’t want to give you that much, so you got a tough decision to make. Take, what are they offering? $45-$50 somewhere in that..look, that’s less than the market. However, you got great weapons, you got a great coach, you’re in a great location. It’s warm. We know you struggle in cold weather.”

While paying Tua Tagovailoa makes sense for the Miami Dolphins, it makes sense to consider what Broussard pointed out. Playing in warm weather is something Tua excels at. In the game where it was 70+ degrees, the QB has a 23-4 record. However, when the temperatures were lower than 70, the QB recorded a 6-13 stint.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The QB has 0-6 record when the temperature peaks at 45 degrees. However, when the weather is below 40, he is 0-3 overall. To put it in perspective, last year’s wild card round game against the Kansas City Chiefs was the coldest one in their franchise history. The Dolphins lost that game 26-7. So, playing in cold weather is obviously a problem.

However, there is an upside to Tua being in Miami’s roster. His impact on Miami’s offense works both ways. The yardage that his receivers bring in is a mirror reflection of his throwing skills.

Is Tua Tagovailoa helping the Dolphins grow?

It’s obvious that he is. Since Tua joined, the Dolphins have had nothing but winning seasons since 2020. Also, it’s worth noting that Mike McDaniel has a 20-14 wining-loss record, and he’s done a pretty good job to make the team Tua centric. As good as Tua might be, McDaniel’s play calling, roster choice and upbeat attitude is what keeps the team going.

McDaniel was able to assemble the fastest offense in the league ever since Tyreek Hill joined the league. Speaking of offense, McDaniel has his QB surrounded by the likes of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and most recently the veteran, Odell Beckham Jr.

Hill finished with the most receiving yards and touchdowns last year with 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns. Also, Jaylen Waddle has never missed on a 1,000+ yard season, along with Raheem Mostert who had his first 1,000+ yard season and improved drastically since he joined the Dolphins. Then there’s De’Von Achane who is a rookie and had 800 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns in the last season.

Another reason why Tua Tagovailoa should take what the Dolphins will offer is because Florida is a non-income tax paying state. So, whatever he makes, he keeps. Tua’s rookie contract has already ended, and the Miami Dolphins can also franchise tag him this year and figure the rest out later. Per Spotrac, the QB has a market value of $52.6 million. Hence, he can have his cake and eat it too.