JULY 23: While it will not be known until tomorrow if Tagovailoa takes part in the first practice of training camp, he is in attendance. Tyreek Hill confirmed on Tuesday (via Beasley) that Tagovailoa reported along with the rest of Miami’s veterans. Attention will now turn to the progress of extension talks and whether or not he engages in a hold-in before an agreement is reached.
JULY 22: While the Dolphins are set to hold their first training camp practice on Wednesday, Tua Tagovailoa is still attached to an expiring contract. Following reports from today that Packers QB Jordan Love won’t practice until he inks an extension, we’re hearing similar sentiments out of Miami. Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com writes that the expectation should be that Tagovailoa “follows Love’s lead and withholds his services in some capacity.”
[RELATED: Jordan Love Will Not Participate In Packers’ Training Camp Without Deal]
If Love truly did set a 2024 precedent for extension-worthy quarterbacks, then that doesn’t bode well for Tua’s chances of seeing the practice field any time soon. ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted today that the Dolphins and their franchise quarterback are not as far along in discussions as the Packers and Love (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
Of course, there’s no immediate urgency to complete an extension. The Dolphins have plenty of offensive continuity, and considering Tagovailoa’s injury and concussion history, the team was probably going to manage his workload either way. The Dolphins have about three weeks until their preseason opener and about seven weeks until the start of the regular season. The former first-round pick could face up to $5MM in fines if he sits out the entire preseason, although Beasley recently noted that those fines could be offset if Tua’s camp is able to squeeze more guaranteed money out of the organization.
Tagovailoa was present during OTAs, but he didn’t participate in any team drills as he pushed for a new contract. If the quarterback refuses to practice during training camp, there’s still a good chance he follows Love’s lead and attends team meetings. Tagovailoa’s camp wanted to avoid a distraction during training camp, and with the Dolphins eyeing a run at the Super Bowl, a complete absence would probably do more harm than good.
We’ll know about Tagovailoa’s status one way or the other by this Wednesday. Veterans are set to report to training camp on Tuesday before taking the practice field on Wednesday. Tua nor Mike McDaniel are expected to speak to reporters tomorrow (per Beasley), but the head coach has his first news conference scheduled for Wednesday morning. We’ll surely get an update at that time.
Uh oh
I personally think the Dolphins should pay him.
Pay him 75 million a year. Keep him happy.
In like 10 years, it will be a bargain.
– a very objective Bills fan
I can see both sides first due to his past injuries and second I can see Miami’s side where he has only had one terrific season. He should open his eyes and see that too. Some of these players sign these huge contracts then they get hurt alot and the teams gave them all this money. I would get him into a agreement where if he goes through training camp and blows the coaches minds then you give him a deserving contrqct.
That isn’t how it works though. Goff got paid, Lawrence got paid, Dak and Love will get paid. Tua has shown he can play at a high enough level to get paid and they’ve built the entire system around him. He will try to get as much as possible as he doesn’t owe us any favors. If Grier pulled his finger out and did a deal before Goff and Lawrence we would have been looking at $45m ish a year. Probably $10m more than that now. If they wait for Dak and Love it could go even higher. If he sits out training camp McDaniel can’t install any new wrinkles to his scheme.
Except the system isn’t built around him, and would in fact greatly benefit from a better QB with a stronger arm. It’s a team built on speed, and Tua is a walking injury risk with a subpar arm.
It is completely built on him. It is built on timing, quick release, pre-snap reads, selling the PA well and receivers hitting their landmark on time. There aren’t many QBs that can operate this system. Tua’s arm is pretty average but an Allen level arm would be wasted in this system because it just isn’t often required. Tua’s downfield accuracy is high despite taking more deep shots than most. I don’t like his injury risk and would like a bit more arm strength but realistically what do you do if you don’t pay Tua? We will likely finish this season with something like the 20th pick so can’t draft a great replacement. You could trade Tua and tank the year but Hill and Waddle will not be happy having to play the season with Mike White. You could wait til next year to pay Tua by which point the market has moved upward again. There is probably no better option than paying him. This is the best the Dolphins have looked in 20+ years and with the Bills weakening and the Jets being the Jets we could potentially win the division and get homefield. To be fair though, whichever way we go will be the wrong way!