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As Tua Tagovailoa grows closer to the end of his rookie contract, the Miami Dolphins quarterback is trying to stay focused on the season ahead and letting his agent deal with the details.
Tagovailoa opened up about the ongoing contract talks with the team, telling Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post that he is looking forward to participating in the team’s offseason workouts while the negotiations take place behind the scenes.
There had been some concern that Tagovailoa could skip OTAs amid the ongoing contract talks, but the quarterback made it clear that he wants to be there with his teammates.
“Just letting my agent deal with that and talk to the team about that,” he said. “For me, my focus is when OTAs come, go to OTAs, show up and be the best teammate I can be.”
🗣 Tua Tagovailoa reveal he will not holdout during contract negotiations: “I’m letting my agent deal with that, talk to them team about that. Go to OTAs, show up, and be the best teammate I can be.” #FinsUp
Dolphins Face Big Decision on Tua Tagovailoa’s Future
The Dolphins are nearing a decision on Tagovailoa’s long-term future in Miami, and the bar for other quarterbacks in his draft class has already been set high. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted, the two other quarterbacks taken in the top six of the 2020 NFL Draft — Joe Burrow (No. 1 overall) and Justin Herbert (No. 6) — have already gotten extensions worth $55 million per year and $52.5 million, respectively.
Florio predicted that Tagovailoa won’t be getting a number that high, but will still get a substantial raise from his rookie contract.
“If Tua, the fifth pick that year, wants to split the difference between those two, that’s surely not happening,” Florio wrote.
“The challenge becomes finding the right number, and the proper guarantees. He’ll make $23.17 million this year. He should get a lot more. But how much more?”
The Dolphins do have options as Tagovailoa completes his rookie deal, including the franchise tag which could give them more time to reach a long-term decision.
Tua Tagovailoa Working With Former Dolphins Quarterback
While the team is having discussions with Tagovailoa’s representatives on the next contract, the quarterback has been working with a former Dolphins signal-caller to improve his game. Tagovailoa told The Palm Beach Post that he has been working with quarterback coach John Beck toward the “little goals that lead up to the bigger goals that I have.”
The team does not expect a contentious negotiation with Tagovailoa, who remains committed to improving his game. Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in March that he expected the quarterback to take part in all of the team’s offseason activities and shared praise for his strong work ethic.
“I do expect Tua to be in OTAs only because my working relationship with Tua,” McDaniel said, via Pro Football Talk. “For two years, I’ve watched Tua gain some unbelievable residuals towards the season in that process.
“It’s part of the reason Tua is who he is because he’s always learning, never staying the same and always working on his craft. I know the one thing that he likes to do now in his life, besides be a kick [expletive] dad to Ace and Maizy, is play football with his teammates. That’s what I expect.”
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