Tua Tagovailoa contract situation: What are the Miami Dolphins’ options?
The Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa are believed to be working on a contract extension for the Pro Bowl quarterback that would keep him with the team beyond the end of the upcoming season. The goal was to have the contract completed before the start of training camp at the end of July, but on Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, a former Dolphins beat writer with lots of contacts to the team and beyond, reported, “Right now, the Dolphins are not offering the contract that is the market value based on [the Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence] deals that were done.”
Goff’s deal with the Detroit Lions, signed in mid-May, was a four-year, $212 million extension including $170 million guaranteed, with $113.6 million fully guaranteed. The deal brings Goff to an average of $53 million per season, with salary camp numbers of $27.2 million in 2024, $32.6 million in 2025, $69.6 million in 2026, $54.6 million in 2027, and $61.6 million in 2028. The 2029 season is a void year in the contract. He is currently the third-highest paid quarterback in the league, based on average per year value.
Lawrence’s new contract, signed last week, keeps him with the Jacksonville Jaguars through the 2030 season and adds five years on to his existing rookie contract, which runs through 2025. The extension adds $275 million over the five years, including $200 million guaranteed with $142 million fully guaranteed. Larwence’s salary cap numbers are $15 million and $17 million in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the last of his rookie contract, then are $24 million in 2026, $25 million in 2027, $47 million in 2028, $78.5 million in 2029, and $74.8 million in 2030. He has two void years, the 2031 and 2032 seasons, that will accelerate prorated signing bonus accounting without a new contract worked out by the end of the 2030 season.
Larwence’s deal tied him with the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow for the top average value per year mark at $55 million. Burrow signed his contract extension with the Bengals in September 2023, keeping him under contract through the 2029 season with a five-year, $275 million deal including $219 million guaranteed with $146.5 million fully guaranteed. His 2024 salary cap number is $29.6 million in the final year of his rookie contract, then when the extension kicks in, it will be $46.3 million in 2025, $48.3 million in 2026, $52.3 million in 2027, $53.5 million in 2028, and $57.5 million in 2029. The 2030 through 2032 seasons are void years, which will including a $9 million cap hit in 2030.
