Tua Tagovailoa is officially out of excuses after Dolphins add Tyreek Hill
Tua Tagovailoa has been in a tough spot with the Miami Dolphins since he was drafted in 2020. The team seemingly "tanked for Tua" but never properly let him run the offense under Brian Flores.
First, he had to split time with Ryan Fitzpatrick as a rookie. Then came 2021, in which there was some back and forth between him and Jacoby Brissett, not to mention the fact Deshaun Watson trade rumors swirled around the team until the trade deadline passed.
Tyreek Hill is a big fan of Tua Tagovailoa's accuracy and ball placement. https://t.co/rcnynxGcpg
All of that meant he had some excuses as to why he wasn't living up to the play of the others in his draft class, such as Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. But the excuses are officially gone after the Dolphins made a blockbuster deal to land Tyreek Hill. Tagovailoa now has one of the best receivers of the modern NFL era. If he can't shine with Hill, the second contract in Miami won't be coming his way.
The Dolphins have given Tua Tagovailoa a gift
The Dolphins did not just get Hill on a one-year deal. No, he showed up, and they immediately handed him a four-year extension for record money. He is there for the long haul, no matter who lines up under center during his deal.
One could argue that Tagovailoa succeeding thanks to Hill doesn't mean he is an elite quarterback. However, one could also say the same about Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback targeted Hill 159 times in 2021 and connected on 111 of those throws. That made the receiver one of the most significant security blankets in the NFL.
So why can't the same be true in Miami? The answer is that it is okay if it does come true, but Tagovailoa is the one who has to make it happen to save his job.
He is entering his third season, which is the time when teams begin thinking about massive contract extensions for former first-round picks. All the team has done has gotten him a young, offensive-minded head coach and a top receiver in the game.
The tricky thing with the southpaw quarterback is that injuries and coaching have limited him to 21 starts in two years. He needs an entire season of work to be correctly evaluated. That is what 2022 will be all about in a stacked AFC.
He can consider 2020 and 2021 learning years as the franchise was a bit of a mess under Flores, to no fault of the coach. 2022 is now an audition year to either earn a contract worth over $200 million or be left behind in the ongoing quarterback carousel.
Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill https://t.co/Weoi1vM0Yb
For fans, all it may take is one or two missed throws downfield to Hill for opinion to change on the young quarterback. But if he connects, a new era will only be getting started in Miami.