Tua Tagovailoa contract: Dolphins star reportedly rejects offer as rumors hint at possible $55M deal

Tua Tagovailoa has been a game-changer for the Miami Dolphins. While the franchise is trying to lock him down for a long time, Tagovailoa is playing hard to get. He expects a deal much bigger than the Dolphins’ original offer.

Tagovailoa was the Dolphins' first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Alabama graduate penned a four-year deal with the Dolphins amounting to $30 million, with a fifth-year option available at $23.5 million. The Dolphins have activated this optional clause, but they want him around for longer. Tagovailoa has signaled that his stay won’t be cheap.

With top-QB contracts getting expensive each year, one NFL executive predicts the contract’s range. The executive as per Dolphin Nation said:

“They’ve groomed him, he’s going to get better. You don’t want to lose him. It was so hard to get a quarterback… It’s just finding that balance. My guess is $55 million [per year], maybe it’s more.”

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Dolphins have set the ball rolling. However, the 26-year-old thwarted their initial contract attempts. Fowler said on SportsCenter:

“They have had contract talks, preliminary talks. I'm told that the Dolphins have made at least one contract offer but we know how these things go; the offer apparently hasn't been good enough."

Fowler also agreed that the Dolphins QB is in line to earn a deal worth over $50 million per year:

“The market is pretty set. We saw Jared Goff, $50-plus million a year, that's going to apply to Tua.”

Only time will tell how long this negotiation process drags on, but the Dolphins fanbase would love to see more of Tua Tagovailoa at Hard Rock Stadium.

Tua Tagovailoa contract issues cause a holdout

Currently, the Dolphins are engaged in organized team activities (OTA), however, their star QB is nowhere to be found. Fowler believes that could be due to his current contract situation with the franchise. He said:

“He has missed some OTA time, I've confirmed, and really it could depend on how negotiations go with his contract as to whether he starts to show up or is there full-time.”

The 2023 Pro Bowler has formed a fierce partnership with wide receiver Tyreek Hill at the Dolphins, which has been terrorizing the opposition's defenses. It remains to be seen if this partnership will go beyond this season or not.