8:15pm: Negotiations have not yet commenced, according to multiple sources who spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. One source said that, while the situation could change, discussions aren’t happening. Another source said that talks haven’t started, but the source expressed optimism that discussions will occur, at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
6:32pm: The Dolphins are discussing a lucrative contract extension with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, a source tells Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel. The framework is seven-year contract worth about $105MM, depending on incentives.
The numbers and details are still being ironed out, but the idea is a contract worth about $15MM per season that guarantees the first two years, gives a team option in the third year, and a player option in the final two seasons. The relevant comps in the discussions are Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and 49ers signal caller Colin Kaepernick. Dalton signed a six-year, $98MM deal that had only $17MM in guaranteed money, making it effectively a three-year, $42MM pact. Kaepernick, meanwhile, had a typical NFL deal: seemingly large on the outside, but not as lucrative in actuality. His deal was believed to be $114MM over six years but with only $12MM guaranteed, he’s effectively playing for his job each year.
Tannehill is currently entering his walk year, worth $2.1MM. The Dolphins can let him play that out or they can guarantee him a $15MM salary to keep him through 2016 if they can’t hammer out an extension. Ultimately, Hyde feels that the active conversations are a promising sign towards a new deal being worked out.
Last year, Tannehill completed 66.4% of his passes for 4,045 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. On Sunday, our own Dallas Robinson examined a possible extension for Tannehill in his offseason outlook for the Dolphins.