The Dolphins, somewhat surprisingly, picked up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option. Not surprisingly, he has not yet received a second multi-year contract.
The latter hasn’t happened because he has yet to prove to the team that he’s the long-term answer at the position. So what does he think he needs to do to show them he’s the guy?
“I think I’ve got to do what I’ve been doing this past year, outside of injuries,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “Just the way I play football, play my style of football. But I think the things that have hurt me have been just the injuries. And so I’ve been working really hard to hopefully, elongate myself, you know, throughout to withstand seasons. And so we’ll see how all that plays out. And God willing, I can make it through the entire season and we can win a playoff game, we can win a Super Bowl, all of that good stuff.”
If he can do “all of that good stuff,” he’ll get a second contract after the season. But if he can’t avoid injuries (specifically, concussions) in 2023, he likely won’t get a long-term deal in 2024.
As to the fifth-year option, it remains a bit odd that the Dolphins would fully guarantee a significant salary for 2024, given the lingering injury/concussion concerns. Given the manner in which the team has previously kept Tua wondering about his status with the team (when pursuing Deshaun Watson and Tom Brady, for example), it’s possible the Dolphins felt compelled to not force Tua to spend 2023 wondering whether he has security for 2024.
Come 2024, however, he could spend the season wondering whether he has security for 2025. Whether he does depends on whether he can — like most starting quarterbacks — stay on the field for all of the 2023 season, or something close to it.