NFL reporter addresses potential contract figures for Dophins QB Tua Tagovailoa

It was previously speculated that the four-year contract that could be worth up to $160M that New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones signed in March 2023 could impact what Baker Mayfield asked to receive from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. 

For a piece published Friday, NFL senior writer Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated explained how Jones' deal could also hover over the Miami Dolphins as they explore signing signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa to an extension ahead of the 2024 campaign. 

"Before last year’s free agency period, weeks before the Jones deal, Tua Tagovailoa signed with the same agency that reps Jones," Orr explained. "One would imagine that Tagovailoa is of the mind, and the Miami Dolphins are of the expectation, that Jones’s deal will be a kind of tentpole in their negotiations. Could Tagovailoa structure a deal that nestles somewhere between the $40M per year that Jones makes and the $43M per year that (Buffalo Bills starter) Josh Allen makes?"

In fairness, Jones never played as well as Tagovailoa has across the 26-year-old's first two seasons under head coach Mike McDaniel. According to ESPN stats, Tagovailoa finished this past regular season ranked 10th in the NFL among qualified players with a 60.8 adjusted QBR, fifth with a 101.1 passer rating and first with 4,624 passing yards. He made 17 regular-season starts for the first time as a pro and tossed 29 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions. 

Tagovailoa currently is on track to carry a salary-cap charge of roughly $23.171M for 2024 while in the final year of his contract, but the Dolphins could lower that number by signing him to an extension that would spread cap hits across multiple years. While much has been made about Tagovailoa's injury history and the fact that he suffered a minimum of two reported concussions during the 2022 season, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier insisted in late February he's not concerned about the health of his QB1.  

Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about Jones' contract is that the Giants can (and seemingly will) escape it as soon as next offseason. The Dolphins likely would love to have that kind of protection just in case Tagovailoa experiences another worrisome setback, but it's unclear if he would agree to such a deal ahead of September.