NFL writer: Dolphins should 'pray' about Tua Tagovailoa decision

NFL writer Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated explained in a piece published on Monday why the Miami Dolphins should soon sign Tua Tagovailoa to a contract extension and then "pray" that the quarterback stays healthy and plays well beyond just a single season. 

"Doing this would be very risky, but the Dolphins have put themselves in a very tough cap position," Verderame said. "Miami enters the offseason approximately $52M over the projected salary cap. While the Dolphins can find some room by releasing veterans...it’s not nearly enough to be cap compliant."

Tagovailoa currently is on track to play on the fifth-year option of his contract worth a salary-cap charge of roughly $23.171M for 2024. General manager Chris Grier could obtain some needed financial relief by kicking significant Tagovailoa cap hits down the road, and the 25-year-old said ahead of the Super Bowl that he believed at that time putting pen to paper on an extension before the 2024 campaign "will happen." 

As shown by ESPN stats, Tagovailoa finished the 2023 regular season with a league-best 4,624 passing yards. He ranked 10th among qualified players with a 60.8 adjusted QBR, fifth with a 101.1 passer rating and tied for fifth with 29 passing touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly, he started every game at a time when his long-term future as an NFL player was very much so up in the air. 

Tagovailoa admitted in April 2023 that he considered retiring after he suffered a minimum of two reported concussions the previous season, the last of which kept him in the league's concussion protocol for over a month. He then spent portions of last offseason training in jiu-jitsu to learn how to fall in a way that helped him avoid head injuries, and it's believed he'll continue that training through at least the start of training camp. 

Verderame mentioned that Tagovailoa's injury history is just one reason Grier should "pray" after signing the signal-caller to an extension. Back in January, ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell pointed out that the Dolphins went 1-6 and averaged 15.1 offensive points per game against opponents with winning records this past season. 

While Verderame added that "the Dolphins will likely want to sign a deal that has outs built into it," it's unknown if Tagovailoa's camp would accept such an agreement by Week 1 in September.