This season, the Miami Dolphins decided to renew quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s rookie contract, by giving him an option to pick up his rookie contract fifth-year option, which would give him 23.2 million dollars per day. With that, the franchise is committed towards the quarterback leading the future of the Dolphins.
However, the All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel isn’t quite satisfied with the Dolphins’ decision to continue the rookie contract. As he believes, quarterback Tagovailoa isn’t the right player for the team if they plan to win the Super Bowl.
Asante Samuel said on Say What Needs To Be Said:
Mr. 123 is my new name for Tua Tagovailoa. When the play is imperfect and Tua needs to adjust or compensate for good coverage or something like that, the Dolphins automatically become a mediocre team. A very average team when Tua Tagovailoa has to create and try to be something that he's really not. Asante Samuel said
Samuel also praised quarterback Tagovailoa but with a hint of salt, as he claimed this year is going to be his career-best, adding:
He will never play to this level again. Asante Samuel on Tua Tagovailoa
However, Samuel didn’t credit Tagovailoa’s success solely to him, as he also applauded head coach Mike McDaniel, asserting “he is solely responsible for Tua’s success.”
Moving forward, he emphasized a tough decision for the Dolphins to decide whether or not they are willing to continue with quarterback Tagovailoa in the future. Samuel added as he expressed his skepticism about the Dolphins’ Super Bowl aspirations with Tagovailoa:
If they want to get to the big games and win the Super Bowl, Tua Tagovailoa is not the guy. Asante Samuel added
How Tua Tagovailoa overcame injuries and thrived under Mike McDaniel
As head coach Mike McDaniel joined the Dolphins, quarterback Tagovailoa’s first season under him went surprisingly well. He recorded his best seasons with the Dolphins after three years. He posted career-highs in passing completion percentage, passing touchdown, and passing yards. The quarterback even led the league in terms of QB passer rating for the most part.
However, these feats came with a heavy price. Tagovailoa suffered major injuries and concussions that ended up becoming the reason for him not being able to finish the season as started. He was replaced by rookie Skylar Thompson in the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
This season, again Tagovailoa produced an impressive feat with 4,451 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions and the QBR of 58.8.
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