DOLPHINS PICK UP FIFTH-YEAR CONTRACT OPTION ON QB TUA TAGOVAILOA
The Miami Dolphins have exercised quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option, the team announced on Monday.
It was reported earlier this month that the Dolphins intended to pick up Tua’s fifth-year option and with this week’s confirmation, it’s now official. According to Spotrac, the move locks Tagovailoa in Miami at a fully-guaranteed $9.633 million in 2023 and $23.171 million in 2024. The 25-year-old becomes eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason.
Coming off a tumultuous 2022 season in which he suffered multiple head injuries and was twice placed in the NFL’s Concussion protocol, the news is a welcome sight for Tagovailoa. Tua was forced to spend more than a month in concussion protocol after his second diagnosed head injury against Green Bay in Week 16 and only exited the protocol on February 1st. He was first diagnosed with concussion in Week 4 after he appeared disoriented after a hit against the Buffalo Bills, which was called a back injury at the time.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier said at the NFL Scouting Combine that Tagovailoa’s injury history would not dissuade him from making a long-term commitment. Although the team had said before that they were sticking with the former Alabama quarterback in 2023 and beyond, the Miami Dolphins have been rumored and linked to some of the prominent quarterbacks available on the market throughout the offseason.
Tagovailoa had his best year yet in 2022 as he threw for an incredible 3,548 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to just eight interceptions, as compared to 2,653 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions in 2021, and 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in 2020. However, he was limited to 13 games due to injury and his long-term absence was a contributing factor to the Dolphins’ collapse in the wild card round to the Buffalo Bills on January 15th.
Tagovailoa finished the year averaging the most yards per completion amongst quarterbacks in 2022 (13.7). The former fifth-overall pick also led the league in passer rating with a rating of 105.5, the youngest player in NFL history to do so since Dan Marino back in 1984. Throughout his first three years in the league, Tagovailoa has registered over 8,000 yards passing and recorded an impressive 95.0 passer rating, which is the highest in the history of the Miami Dolphins.
With Tua improving year by year, and with the addition of superstar wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Miami Dolphins are confident that they have their offense ready to go until at least 2025. The move is a big commitment by Miami and is the ultimate sign that they don’t have any plans to acquire someone else at quarterback this offseason. After everything is said and done, Tua Tagovailoa will once again be the starting quarterback in 2023.
News of the team’s commitment to Tagovailoa was welcomed by Tyreek Hill, who responded to the team’s tweet, saying, “Let’s get to work, Uno.” The two players formed a formidable duo last year and Tagovailoa was a major reason why Hill finished the campaign with a career-high 1,710 receiving yards, almost 500 yards more than he had the two years prior in Kansas City.
The Ewa Beach-born Tagovailoa is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season and could be trending towards a contract extension with the Miami Dolphins if he can stay healthy and replicate his 2022 numbers this year.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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