Tua Tagovailoa sheds light on impact of Jared Goff's $212,000,000 extension on Dolphins QB's contract negotiations
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He is confident that his camp and the team will agree to a contract extension before the start of the 2024 NFL season. But what will be the ballpark for the Dolphins QB?
The Detroit Lions and Jared Goff recently agreed on a four-year $212 million extension, with an annual salary of $53 million. Tua is well aware of this. He is also aware of the quarterbacks getting paid.
On Tuesday, the Dolphins QB spoke to the reporters after the team's first mandatory minicamp. [1:31]
The market is the market," Tagovailoa said when asked if Jared Goff's $53 million AAV sets a benchmark for his negotiations. "If we didn't have a market, then none of that would matter. [It'd] just be an organizational thing, you know, didn't matter if that guy got paid that because it's up to the organization."
Tagovailoa added that he is not concerned about his contract situation.
"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 discussion, that we've had. We just are trying to move that thing into the right direction where we can both be happy."
Spotrac projected Tua Tagovailoa's market value at $49.6 million AAV. A new contract will make him the highest-paid player in Dolphins history.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have made 'a lot of progress' on contract negotiations
In February, earlier this year, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said that the team would like to have the quarterback for the long term and would like to get a deal done.
"We've been in communication since the offseason began," Grier said. "Our goal is to try and get something done."
On Tuesday, Tua Tagovailoa said to reporters that there has been a lot of progress on the contract negotiations.
"I think there's been a lot of progress at this point, from where we started there's been a lot of progress," he said. "You can ask the other question of, 'Why aren't we seeing an agreement?' Well, that's the tough part about it. That's why it's business."
In 2023, Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards (4,624) and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. If the Dolphins and the QB fail to agree on a deal before the start of the regular season, Tagovailoa will play on his fifth-year option. He will earn $23.1 million in 2024 and hit the open market next offsesaon.