Source sounds warning about Dolphins paying Tua Tagovailoa

One in-the-know individual recently expressed concerns regarding the Miami Dolphins possibly locking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa down via a long-term contract extension this offseason. 

"The general rule of thumb is as players get older, they don't get more durable," a so-called "source familiar with front office operations" told Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. "Generally speaking, if you've been hurt before, you're going to be hurt again. Tua, to play the entire year this year, deserves a ton of credit. I'm just glad I'm not the one that's signing off on paying him."

A 2020 first-round draft pick, Tagovailoa started in every regular season game for the first time as a pro last season, and he's produced stellar numbers since Mike McDaniel became Miami's head coach in February 2022. Specifically, Pro-Football-Reference shows that Tagovailoa finished the 2023 season ranked first in the NFL with 4,624 passing yards. He was tied for fifth with 29 touchdowns through the air, and he was ranked fifth with a 101.1 passer rating. 

Of course, such stats tell only a portion of Tagovailoa's story. The 26-year-old already had a worrisome and lengthy injury history before he suffered a minimum of two reported concussions during the 2022 campaign that caused him to consider calling time on his playing days. Bulking up and training in jiu-jitsu helped Tagovailoa avoid such setbacks last season, but the fear remains that he could be a hit away from becoming a spectator for more than just a handful of games. 

It was suggested earlier this offseason that Tagovailoa's camp will want to better the four-year contract worth up to $160M that New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones signed in March 2023. That was before Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions received a four-year extension this spring that included $170M guaranteed and could be worth up to $212M. 

"Signing bonus, base salary, workout bonus, per game roster bonuses -- that's something [the Dolphins are] going to want to put in the contract," a contract adviser told Louis-Jacques about negotiations between Tagovailoa's representatives and the Dolphins. "Per-game roster bonus is high because of his health -- but the agent side will balk at it."

Tagovailoa is in the final year of his contract, meaning Miami could wait things out and then use the franchise tag to retain his services next year. Doing so could make Tagovailoa more expensive down the road but also would force him to prove that last season wasn't a fluke and that his injury issues are now in the past.