Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is entering the final year on his rookie contract.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reported to the team’s training facility when the team began their offseason training program in April. According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, that may be about the extent of what Tagovailoa, coming off his first Pro Bowl selection, has done this offseason. “Tagovailoa has been absent for the large majority of voluntary offseason work since the Dolphins reported back April 15,” Jones wrote Friday morning.
Tagovailoa is entering his fifth year in the league after Miami selected fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins exercised the fifth-year option in Tagovailoa’s rookie contract last year, keeping him with the team through the 2024 season. The team is believed to be working on a contract extension for Tagovailoa, but they could fall back to using the franchise tag next offseason to keep him with the team for at least a sixth season.
Under the NFL and NFL Players Association collective bargaining agreement, the offseason training program is primarily a voluntary period for the player, with no disciplinary actions authorized if a player chooses not to show. Teams may hold one mandatory event, a minicamp, late in the program. The mandatory minicamp will be held June 4-6 for the Dolphins. The team could fine any player who does not report for the minicamp.
The fifth-year option will pay Tagovailoa a fully guaranteed $23.17 million this season. A new contract would likely pay Tagovailoa around $50 million per season. The Detroit Lions and quarterback Jared Goff agreed this week on a new four-year, $212 million contract with $113.6 million fully guaranteed and an additional $57 million in injury guarantees. Goff’s contract has a $53 million per season average, second behind the Cincinnati Bengals’ deal with Joe Burrow ($55 million per year).
Tagovailoa skipping the workouts could be a sign that he is growing frustrated with the negotiations on a long-term contract extension.
In four seasons with the Dolphins, Tagovailoa has thrown for 12,639 yards with a 66.9 percent completion rate, 81 touchdowns, 37 interceptions, and a career passer rating of 97.1. He led the league in passer rating in 2022 with a 105.5. Last year, he threw for a league-high 4,624 yards, earning the start at the league’s all-star Pro Bowl Games event.
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