Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson signed a three-year contract extension this week and one of the reasons why the team paid him was because of the work he’s done protecting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this season.
Jackson and Tagovailoa were both 2020 first-round picks in Miami and their 2023 experience has been much better than what they went through in their first couple of years with the club. Tagovailoa reflected on that experience, which came under former head coach Brian Flores, on Thursday while sharing his happiness for Jackson.
“I just smile because of where he’s come from early when we got here together,” Tagovailoa said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “There’s a lot of things that have been said about him in front of team meetings, in the media and things like that. So, I’m just happy. I don’t want to get choked up about it. What he’s done is tremendous. What he’s done is tremendous. I’m very proud of him. Very happy.”
Tagovailoa said it was “truly remarkable to sit in those meetings and have things told about you that you know aren’t true but get planted in your head” and credited current head coach Mike McDaniel and his staff with building them both back up over the last couple of years.
That process has not included a new deal for Tagovailoa yet, but his play this season is pushing him closer to one that is sure to pay him a lot more than Jackson while ensuring that they remain in the same locker room a while longer.