Tagovailoa’s value according to you!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the Tua Tagovailoa/Miami Dolphins contract situation and how it seems like Tua's ultimate number goes up with every new quarterback contract. This followed the signing of Trevor Lawerance by the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 5-year 275 million dollar deal. I then asked the following question-

Do you think Tua is worth more than 55 million dollars per season? Should the Dolphins give Tua a deal that exceeds Trevor Lawerance’s 55 million dollars per season average, or play hardball and offer him what they think is a contract that reflects his actual value?

Below are some of your thoughts and answers-

Call_for_the_Priest’77 says it’s worth it because the alternative is not better.

Does it make sense to invest big in Tua when he has yet to lead us into playoff relevance? I am firmly in the yes camp on this. Investing is always a risk. You are putting out money ahead of results but like much of business, that is the nature of the game. Players are paid by contract, not game by game results.

I first look at Tua’s pro career. He has improved every year in the league, put up some fantastic, even league leading numbers in some cases and has shown tremendous throwing skills along the way that few other QBs have done. He also has prevailed through difficult circumstances such as a tyrannical out of touch head coach who was determined to replace Tua the moment the team got him. Following those first two years was a nightmare year of serious concussions, yet around which he still put up good numbers (and suffered no time loss injuries outside of the concussions BTW for you Tua dissenters). And throughout all this, Tua has stood tall, trusted his abilities and played well for us. This culminated in a league leading passing title last year and a highly unexpected season sweep in terms of starting all 17 games (what’s going on here dissenters??). My bottom line when it comes to Tua’s play is that he is far closer to truly elite QB status than he is to a terminally mediocrity status QB.

The second aspect to consider is the void left by Tua should he not get the kind of deal he wants. A trade or franchise tag would surely result. The problem with the trade idea is who is going to be made available out there that show Tua’s promise and who would be significantly cheaper? Franchise tagging Tua would likely be close enough in basic financial terms to what Tua is demanding. It may curtail some extra demands of Tua (such as guaranteed money, length of contract...) but would there really be that much difference? And I wouldn’t exclude the possibility of some draft capital heavy, QB salivating team from poaching Tua if he is given a probable non-exclusive tag (2 first round picks as compensation for putting forth an amount Miami would not want to match). Franchise tags are a death knell for players staying with their tagging teams so Tua would eventually be freed as an FA and the team would get nothing in return. This leaves an even bigger void from Tua’s eventual absence.

So the way I see it is that Tua should get paid a reasonable market value and maybe a bit more in terms of extra base money, incentives (potential extra money if he statistically earns it), monetary guarantees etc. Has his production been worth that up to this point? Well, although we would like and need more out of Tua, I would say it’s possible he has been worth this up to this point. But now is his potential worth such a deal? Definitely! And is it worth paying (perhaps) more than we would like to in order to avoid the hazards of replacing Tua either straight away or in the near future (if tagged)? Once again most definitely yes!

tpl says no, make up the difference in bonuses.

55 million a year, no. I would try to give him a lesser amount, but with performance bonus

DolphinFan85 has a lot to say, but I still don't know if he’s down with paying Tua.

Tua has to win period. Who said anything was fair in football? Tua does carry the burden of expectation from older fans who have seen so much go wrong for so long when it counts most...To be fair, Tua and Hill, Waddle etc have brought me out of my seat countless times the past few seasons. Getting drafted high coming off a major hip injury was something many fans had a hard time understanding, but from many accounts, Steve Ross had Tua as his personal choice. I am hoping Dan Marino will be spending a lot of time with Tua, and that includes halftime when adjustments can be made to the game plan . The current Head Coach is not known positively for good in-game adjustments.

Spok507 says Grier needs to stick to his guns and only pay Tagovailoa what he’s worth.

Everyone keeps saying the Dolphins and Grier are at fault for not getting Tua’s contract done earlier. Maybe it’s Tua and his agent that are at fault. Maybe they’re just asking for too much. “The market is the market” is a cop out and makes it obvious he’s the one playing games. It’s highly possible the Dolphins are being very reasonable and Tua just wants to be paid more than anyone and re-set the market. That is ego driven and if that’s the case, I hope Grier sticks to his guns and keeps a reasonable offer on the table. The team shouldn’t be held hostage by one player, especially since Tua hasn’t shown he’s worth a market-setting contract. If they offer him something between Goff and Burrow/Lawrence, I hope he’s smart enough to take it. If not, maybe he’d enjoy playing in Seattle. Or Minnesota. Or anywhere else that would be desperate enough to pay him more than he’s worth.

ChumpPunk says he’s not worth it, but give it to him because what other choice do you have?

Nah! No one position is worth the cap cleaning amount the QBs are selfishly taking. However, the “market” has stupidly fostered this aberration and they’re stuck with it. So, pay up! Until the owners get together and (illegally) stop this robbery it will persist.

21Dave just doesn't want to hear about this s**t any longer!

If I say yes can we end the talk about it, I mean I will say know if that does the trick. It doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t , it’s not our call. The price for QB’s is going up, so no matter what happens he as of know gives us the best chance to win, so pay him and be done. Have an out clause in it and be done with it already. I would love to see him stretch his money out over 8 years so it’s less hit each season.

PhinstantReaction says he’s not worth it!

He’s obviously not worth that contract. Very few are. He’s not physically talented enough and hasn’t proven he’s a game changer. He’s a part of a team so he should take a team friendly deal like Baker Mayfield just got. It blows me away that people don’t see he’s a part of a system. He’s good, but he’s not the reason the Fins are fun to watch. He needs to help his team continue to pay other people.

Luvs2drnk2.0 says the Dolphins can’t afford to not pull the trigger on the big money.

Here is the more relevant question. Can they afford NOT to pay Tua market value? As much as people on here seem to think it’s very easy to find a franchise QB. History has shown that it’s just not that easy, and the majority of franchises go 20+ years trying to find a QB that can lead them to long term success.

DaGnome wants us to listen to Kurt Warner and pay the man!

Pay the man. He has done nothing but follow all the leads the team has given him after going through two years of anti-development. He is working to make himself better every season - self-defense martial arts, getting thicker and now getting thinner, working with QB coaches, becoming more vocal. He is driven, he has improved each year with high achievement, and on top of it all, he is a good man. What else could you want in a QB who is just 26 years old and still developing and is doing so?

Listen to the quality people like Kurt Warner, a winning, hard-working man, who speaks from experience and not the talking media hounds trying to get clicks like others who I won’t dignify by stating their names. Don’t you think a team is smart to put a system in for your quarterback that works?? Maybe other teams should do the same if they aren’t.

I am tired of hearing these people claiming he needs to remain healthy. Joe Burrow is fraught with injury, DeShaun Watson, Anthony Richardson also joined those ranks, but they aren’t tossed in this conversation. And then you have Justin Herbert, who unfortunately will always be linked to Tua, and his team had the 5th pick in the draft, but that is okay because he had a few injured players. Tua lost 1 playoff game in ridiculous conditions of weather, defensive replacements (players starting in key positions were in street clothes the week before), the offensive line was in its 12th formation, Tyreek, Waddle, and Mostert were also banged up, and yet we hear people saying he needs to win a playoff game like he has been in half a dozen.... it was 1.

Dolphin fans, we need to unite, because if we all don’t get behind him, we are going to go through another 20 years of sub-par football. The market price is what it is. Tua is going to get lambasted no matter the contract, so just get him paid, because he is the kind of player who will work even harder and he is definitely the kind of man I root for.

Dolfanjoe says wait and see...

Play out this season ! If he is worth it franchise him next season and draft an understudy. Couple of big headaches from retiring now !

dolphinfan1323 didn’t say whether we should pay him that amount or not, but he blames Grier either way, I think!?!

Chris Grier is always behind what the market is and ends up costing Miami players or millions in cap space!! He should have closed the deal early and would have been cheaper he has no problem throwing money at other teams players but the players he drafted and Miami developed he wants to play hard ball ridiculous. He just can’t close the deal and build a complete team ppl on here complain about his drafting well he has done a decent job with that trades and free agency. He has failed to build an offensive line and retaining our own drafted players when other teams are locking up there good young talent Grier is playing hard ball and they end up get overpaid in free agency and we lose them it’s the Grier way two steps forward and two steps back always just spinning the wheels

daytonadolfan says pay him, even possibly more if that’s what it takes. Also, Joe is correct; I hope I never have to see White take the field as a Dolphin ever again.

Evening, Tua’ should get at least matching salary if not a bit more . He is better than Lawrence in my opinion and they need to pay the man.Skyler or White is not the answer so what are ya gonna do .....suit up an old Tannehill?

glen55 says HELL YES, he’s worth it. Well, he wasn't that fired up, but still, a yes!

“Worth it” is kind of a philosophical question. Most people think that football quarterbacks should not be getting paid $50 million a year. But in the actual QB market they are, due to the various factors involving the salary cap, the way salaries are structured, and the critical importance of QB play to the teams. That’s just reality.

So ... once you’re willing to accept reality, then yes of course he is. He’s worth more than that. There’s nothing but a world of hurt ahead if the Dolphins don’t hook him up.

Thomas23059 allowed past memories to remind him that we have to pay Tagovailoa.

Someone was talking about Cleo Lemon today. Tua is worth whatever it takes to get him to stay.

NCSurferMike asks what else are they going to do?

Aside from using legs to extend plays, Tua has been better than Lawrence in every way. Neither is worth 55 million a year, but it is what it is. What else are the Fins going to do? Go with Mike White?

The opinions on this subject varied from no to yes to well, what other choice do we have? I have to agree with the what choice do we have group. In the end, the team will give him pretty much what he wants, so you have to always wonder what the damn holdup is, to begin with. I just hope this whole saga comes to a conclusion before camp begins so that the whole team is not asked about it on a daily basis. Again, thank you to each of you who took the time to answer the question of the day and join in on the debate.