Tua Tagovailoa has officially signed the largest contract extension in franchise history, worth four years and $212.4 million with the Miami Dolphins, keeping him in the Magic City until 2028.
With the 26-year-old’s contract officially signed, every first-round quarterback taken in the 2020 NFL Draft (Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert (Chargers), Jordan Love (Packers) and Jelen Hurts (Eagles)) has now signed a long-term deal. Love, who signed a four-year, $220 million deal on the same day as Tagovailoa, is now the league’s highest-paid signal-caller.
The sports world soon began debating whether Tagovailoa deserved elite pay, with James Jones recently expressing his thoughts on “Speak,” saying he’s not happy with players getting paid less than their potential.
“I’m happy for Tua,” he said. “I’m happy for everybody who gets paid in the National Football League. … What I’m not happy about is all the (other) positions. You get paid for your play and how you play. Forget value, forget all that, you get paid for your play and how well you do at your position.”
The former NFL wideout said Brandon Ayuk would be on the field right now if the San Francisco 49ers hadn’t paid Brock Purdy as much as he is now. Ayuk recently requested a trade amid the ongoing contract dispute.
“I want the owners to spend this money, but I want them to spend it on other players,” Jones added. “A good quarterback in the middle of the pack … should take the middle-tier money … and pay other players on the football team.”
Nick Wright discussed whether the Miami Heat’s owner is considering Tagovailoa and whether he would agree with such a move on a recent episode of “First Things First.”
“I think it was a mistake,” he said. “I really like Mike McDaniel. He’s very sharp, and I graded him on the curve. When you look at everything he does, he’s clearly a limited quarterback to me. He’s now seemingly signed and defended. The curve is now gone, and you’ve approved this guy. I don’t want to pay Tua $50 million a year… (but) the Dolphins did it.
“I think if he plays quarterback, the team will be limited.”
Tagovailoa sat out training camp for one day as a contract decision was not made. His teammates, receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, praised his skills and technique while contract talks were ongoing.
The Dolphins are now in their fifth year under Tagovailoa and are looking to make another playoff appearance after falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs last season.
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