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Dolphins QB Status: Tua Contract the Big Issue

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Alain Poupart | Last updated Feb 5, 2024 2:44 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins are coming off what overall could be considered a successful season, which ended with an 11-6 record and a second consecutive playoff appearance, but there is work to be done for the team to reach the next level.

The major first step in the roster-building process will be free agency, which will kick off with the start of the new league year March 13 after the Dolphins go over their season-ending roster and decide how to proceed at each position moving forward.

With that in mind, we examine where the Dolphins stand at each position heading into free agency, with contract status of each player, a quick review of the 2023 performance and an analysis of what to expect in the offseason.

We start with the quarterbacks.

MIAMI DOLPHINS QUARTERBACKS IN 2023

On the roster: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White, Skylar Thompson

2023 season: Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards and was selected as the AFC Pro Bowl starter. White appeared in six games in mop-up duty after the outcome had been decided. Thompson did not play a snap in the regular season.

Stats that stand out: Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 yards and finished fifth in passer rating at 101.1. ... He was second in the NFL in average gain per completion at 8.26 yards (Brock Purdy led at 9.64). ... Tua played every game for the first time in his four-year NFL career. ... Tua had seven touchdowns and six interceptions in his six games against playoff opponents.

THE OFFSEASON AT QUARTERBACK

Contract status: Tagovailoa is under contract on his fifth-year option, White is under contract through 2024, Thompson is under contract through 2025

Notable pending free agents around the NFL: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota; Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee; Jameis Winston, New Orleans; Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay; Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis; Joe Flacco, Cleveland

Offseason outlook: This obviously is all about Tua and a potential contract extension, with a slight aside with White and whether to move on from him to save $3.5 million of cap space and come up with a cheaper alternative. But, really, who are we kidding here? It's Tua and whether the Dolphins sign him to an extension, which he said at the Pro Bowl last week he believed was going to happen, and then what that extension might look like. It certainly does appear based on Tua's words and those of GM Chris Grier right after the end of the season that an extension is the most likely scenario, though the case can be made that it would be more prudent to have him play on the fifth-year option given the struggles against playoff opponents. Yet another option would be to try to trade Tua and either trade for someone like Justin Fields or try to sign Cousins in free agency, though that seems highly unlikely — if not downright unfathomable — at this time.

This article first appeared on Miami Dolphins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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