Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is seeking a contract extension, pulled a mild surprise by showing up on the first day of the club’s voluntary organized team activities on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Miami sportscaster Josh Moser posted on X that “Tua is there, despite not getting an extension done yet.”
Tagovailoa, the former Saint Louis and Alabama star, is set to play the 2024 season on his fifth-year option worth $23.171 million. But the NFL’s leader in passing yardage last season is seeking a multi-year extension.
Jared Goff, who led the Detroit Lions to their first conference championship since 1991, last week received a four-year, $212 million contract extension, with $170 million guaranteed and a $73 million signing bonus.
Tagovailoa, who was the teams No. 1 draft pick (fifth overall) in 2020, could get a deal in that range, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
Marek Brave of the phinsider.com reported that Rosenhaus said this:
“I think it has to be in the ballpark of Jared Goff. To me, they are comparable players. When you look at Tua’s statistics compared to Goff’s, they’re pretty close and I would be surprised if it’s not a similar deal.”
Tagovailoa finished first in passing yards (4,624) with Goff second (4,575). Tagovailoa also topped Goff in completion percentage (69.3 to 67.3) and passer rating (101.1 to 97.9). Tagovailoa had 29 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions while Goff had 30 TD passes and 12 picks.
Tagovailoa played all 17 games last season. The previous two years he played 13 each season while dealing with injuries, including concussions.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Tagovailoa has already rejected one offer from the Dolphins.
Moser posted that Rosenhaus “says the expectation around the NFL is that it will get done by training camp.”
The veteran minicamp, the only mandatory event during the offseason, is scheduled for June 4-6. The start of training camp is in late July.
According to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, there was speculation that Tagovailoa would skip the OTA sessions. But the QB showed up for the first day of Phase 3 of the offseason program.
It’s not certain whether the former No. 5 pick overall in 2020 would attend the whole week or whether he would participate in any voluntary off-field practices, according to Kelly.
