Tyreek Hill's latest Tua Tagovailoa take isn't doing Dolphins any favors

When an eight-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, and Super Bowl champion speaks, it is certainly worth a listen. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, but has spent the past two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The eight-year pro has put up impressive numbers since being dealt to the ‘Fins in 2022.

Hill has also been very complimentary of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa since the speedy wideout arrived in South Florida. Much of the talk this offseason surrounding Mike McDaniel’s club has been the future of their 26-year-old signal-caller. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract, with the Dolphins having picked up his fifth-year option last spring.

As it stands right now, Tagovailoa will play for $23.17 million in 2024. There’s been plenty of debate on whether he deserves a new and lucrative contract.

Teammate Tyreek Hill believes Tua Tagovailoa has earned a big deal

Late last week, Hill made an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter. He didn’t mince words when it came to his starting quarterback.

“For people to like sit here and try to discredit Tua and say he’s not deserving of a contract is wild to me. A lot of guys on the team understand his value and understand that we need him. We need his leadership. We need the mindset that he brings into each and every week. It’s there. It’s like Terminator almost, man. I feel like he should be one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league.”

Tagovailoa comes off a season in which he set career highs in completion percentage (69.3) and touchdown passes (29). His 4,624 yards through the air were not only a personal best, but that figure led the entire league. Perhaps more significantly, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft started every game in 2023, as well as the playoff contest at Kansas City.

It’s been a very busy offseason for McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier. The latter had plenty of decisions to make due to salary cap issues, but the club still managed to add a lot of quality veteran talent. However, Grier’s biggest move has yet to come.