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NFL Rumors: Tua Tagovailoa trending toward new contract with Dolphins
There were moments in the 2023 NFL season when Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins looked simply unstoppable. Most notable was the 70-point performance against the Broncos, but this team also appeared to be streamlined to capturing the AFC East and possibly making a playoff run.
Of course, things fell apart a bit for Mike McDaniel's team. They fell apart down the stretch and gave way to the Buffalo Bills in the division, thus entering the postseason as a wild card team. That put them on the road in frigid Kansas City where the Dolphins were quickly dispatched by the Chiefs. And once again, the viability of Tagovailoa as the team's franchise quarterback became a topic of discussion.
There's no denying that Tua has done a good-to-great job in McDaniel's system alongside Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert and so on. But many have wondered if he's truly a quarterback capable of elevating an NFL offense, Miami's in particular, to the next level. Now entering the fifth year option of his rookie contract, that naturally leads to talk of a contract extension.
And that's something that, if you ask Tagovailoa, will happen. The Dolphins quarterback was asked about the possibility of a new deal while at the Pro Bowl Games this week and seemed optimistic regarding any forthcoming negotiations, telling Joe Schad and Adam Beasley (h/t Barry Jackson) that he "believes" a long-term contract with Miami will happen.
Of a potential longterm contract with the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa told @AdamHBeasley and @schadjoe at the Pro Bowl today that "I believe that will happen." That would suggest a Dolphins conviction that he's their guy longterm and no turning back.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) February 2, 2024
It's certainly worth noting that this isn't coming from the Dolphins but, rather, the quarterback who would love to sign a lucrative new contract with Miami. So Tua's optimism should be taken with a grain of salt, without question.
At the same time, if there were signs in the opposite direction -- meaning that the Dolphins were indicating behind closed doors that this might be it with Tagovailoa -- we would probably not be hearing comments like this from the quarterback. That's another factor in the equation that must be considered.
All told, though, it's going to be a divisive conversation with the Dolphins about Tua Tagovailoa's future. How it ends up, though, may depend on what the 2024 season looks like as Miami could look to get an even larger sample size.