Following the Miami Dolphins’ Thursday demonstration of financial flexibility to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, an extension for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa becomes less likely.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Waddle signed a three-year, $84.75 million contract with Miami, with a $76 million guarantee. Waddle’s contract expires one year sooner than a Tagovailoa extension or franchise tag would impact Miami’s cap. However, this action might indicate that Miami isn’t fully committed to the 26-year-old quarterback, who is about to enter the last year of his deal.
Although Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards (4,624) in 17 games the previous season, he also threw a career-high 14 interceptions. In the wild-card round, he struggled in his first postseason game, finishing with a poor 15.3 QBR in a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL expert Jonathan Jones stated that a Tagovailoa deal would cost “dollars more” than Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s contract during an appearance on “CBS Sports HQ” on Thursday. (Herbert inked a $262.5 million, five-year contract last offseason.)
Miami does not have enough cap space. The Dolphins are 30th in the NFL with $1.42 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. It might make more sense to let Tagovailoa play on his fifth-year option ($23.17M) and see if he can lead the team to a deep playoff run.
“Tagovailoa still has more to prove than Waddle, but Waddle can help his quarterback get paid by continuing to produce as he has in his first three professional seasons,” Nick Shook of NFL.com said. Ultimately, Waddle owes Tagovailoa gratitude for the passes that stocked his pockets. In Miami, everybody eats.”
In the meantime, Tagovailoa has concentrated on making summer adjustments to boost his game and land a new contract. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said on Tuesday that he has been strengthening his arms with the help of private tutor John Beck.
