Last year, the Miami Dolphins picked up Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option with hopes of getting a new contract in place down the road. With mandatory minicamp underway, the two sides still have yet to reach an agreement with training camp over a month away.
After reporting to minicamp Tuesday, Tagovailoa noted the “progress” being made in the negotiations. As for why they haven’t come to a deal, he said it comes down the “business” side.
“I think there’s been a lot of progress at this point,” Tagovailoa said. “From where we started, there’s been a lot of progress. Now, you can ask the other question, then. Why aren’t we seeing an agreement? Well, that’s the tough part about it. That’s why it’s business. That’s why you’ve got one side and the other trying to work to meet in the middle.”
Tagovailoa was the second quarterback off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft, but is one of the last to get a new contract. The Green Bay Packers gave Jordan Love a one-year contract prior to last season, so he’s not playing on a fifth-year option. However, he is also looking for a long-term deal.
Even beyond the 2020 draft class, multiple quarterbacks have signed lucrative contracts this offseason. That includes Jared Goff, who got a four-year, $212 million deal from the Detroit Lions. Tagovailoa said he isn’t too concerned about what other quarterbacks get, but he trusts the market.
“I’ll tell you one thing: the market is the market,” Tagovailoa said. “If we didn’t have a market, then none of that would matter. It would just be an organizational thing. It didn’t matter if that guy got paid that because it’s up to the organization.
“So that’s what I would say. The market is the market. That’s it.”
Tua Tagovailoa ‘confident’ a deal will get done
Tagovailoa is coming off the biggest year of his career in Miami, throwing for 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns to make his first career Pro Bowl. The Dolphins made a case as the NFL’s fastest team with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at receiver along with Devon Achane and Raheem Mostert at running back, and Tagoaviloa ran the show at quarterback.
But training camp is approaching, and the former Alabama star’s long-term future remains a big question mark. When asked about whether he thinks a deal will get done by the time camp starts, Tagovailoa maintained his confidence something will come together, although he didn’t put a timeline on it.
“I’m confident that a deal will get done,” he said. “But again, it’s not in my control. It’s really up to both sides meeting in the middle with this.”
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