Insider Bluntly Explains What’s Holding up Tua Tagovailoa’s Contract Extension

Three of the NFL’s top quarterbacks — Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins — signed big-money contracts this offseason, and a fourth (Jordan Love) will likely sign one between now and the start of training camp.

So, what’s holding up the contract negotiations between the Miami Dolphins and fourth-year passer Tua Tagovailoa?

As ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported during a recent appearance on “NFL Live,” the team is simply nowhere in the ballpark that Tagovailoa’s camp wants to be in, likely somewhere in the $50 million-per-year range.

Jan 13, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws a pass during the second half of a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

“This is complicated,” Darlington reported. “… I’ve been long optimistic about Tua Tagovailoa getting this deal done. I'm not saying that it won't get done…but right now there's five words that are looming over this contract negotiation, and they're the words that came out of Tua's mouth: ‘The market is the market.’

“… The Dolphins can point at that Jared Goff deal and say, ‘We’re not the Detroit Lions. We’re not making that decision.’ But when Trevor Lawrence leapfrogs it, you’ve got a situation because right now, the Dolphins are not offering the contract that is the market value, based on those other deals that were done. … We're not to panic point just yet...(but the Dolphins) are not in the Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence ballpark.”

Lawrence is tied with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow as the highest-paid QB in the NFL ($55M per year.) Goff’s new deal pays him an average of $53M per year, making him the third-highest paid passer, and Cousins ranks ninth at $45M per year.

What exactly Tagovailoa’s value is has been a highly debated topic of the offseason.

Spotrac projects his market value around $52.6M annually, which would put him fourth among highest-paid QBs, but the Dolphins presumably feel it’s actually more on par with Cousins or Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who makes $43M per season.

Tagovailoa admitted after the season ended that he’s growing impatient with the lack of urgency on Miami’s side. The fact that he doesn’t have a suitable contract offer in front of him likely isn’t helping the situation.