Sure seems like the Dolphins are more worried than they let on paying Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has struggled to find the words that best describe his feelings as he awaits his contract extension.

Frustrated? No. Annoyed? That's not it. Bothered? Nope. Pissed off? That's not it either. Concerned? That's "way off."

Tagovailoa was "probably antsy" when he reported to Miami's first day of mandatory minicamp.

Tagovailoa is entering the final year of his contract, a fifth-year option of his rookie deal that will earn him roughly $23.2 million in 2024. The goal has always been to get a new deal before the regular season begins, but with training camp around the corner, Tagovailoa still has not inked a contract extension with the Dolphins.

Dolphins don't seem ready to offer market value to Tua Tagovailoa

Previous reports suggested the Dolphins were "in the ballpark" of agreeing to terms for a contract extension with Tagovailoa. But in the NFL, things can change in a hurry.

ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported on Tuesday that Miami may have already exited the ballpark.

"Right now, there's five words that are looming over this contract negotiation, and they're the words that came out of Tua's mouth: 'The market is the market,'" Darlington said. "He said that after Jared Goff had signed his deal and before Trevor Lawrence signed his."

The quarterback market has drastically shifted since the beginning of the offseason. After the dust from free agency settled, the Detroit Lions signed quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $134 million contract with an average annual value of $53 million.

Those numbers were surpassed when the Jacksonville Jaguars signed quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with an average annual value of $55 million. The figure matches the record-setting contract signed by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last year, although Lawrence's average annual value is misleading due to inflated salaries in 2029 and 2030.

"The complicated part of this is, the Dolphins could point at that Jared Goff deal and say, 'Well, we're not the Detroit Lions. We're not making that decision,'" Darlington continued. "But when Trevor Lawrence then leapfrogs it, you've got a situation. Because right now, the Dolphins are not offering the contract that is the market value based on those other deals that were done."

Tagovailoa certainly outperformed Lawrence statistically last season. Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards and earned his first Pro Bowl nod while setting career highs in passing touchdowns and games played. But Lawrence has already notched his first playoff win, while Tagovailoa still managed to come up empty in the postseason. In 2023, the Dolphins lost in the Wild Card Round for the second consecutive season.

"So if this gets there, it's just going to require more negotiations," Darlington said. "And we're not to panic point just yet, I just think my optimism earlier has to be slightly scaled back at this point given all of those factors currently in play. Based on my conversations, they are not in the Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence ballpark, and that to me speaks volumes about where the negotiations are right now."

There are still doubts lingering around Tagovailoa’s availability. The 26-year-old quarterback has missed multiple games due to seven different documented injuries in three of his four seasons. He also required surgery for ankle and hip injuries during his collegiate career at Alabama.

The Dolphins have to determine how much faith they have in Tagovailoa to stay healthy and lead them to postseason victory. If Miami plans to invest in Tagovailoa for their long-term future, it would be wise to do it sooner than later. The longer Miami waits, the more expensive Tagovailoa will be. After all, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will eventually sign his own record-setting contract.