Will Jaylen Waddle deal affect Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa extension decision?

An extension for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa seems less likely after the Miami Dolphins showed wide receiver Jaylen Waddle the money on Thursday.

Per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Miami gave Waddle a three-year, $84.75M extension with $76M guaranteed. A Tagovailoa extension or franchise tag would affect Miami's cap one year sooner than Waddle's deal. Still, this move could signal that Miami isn't all-in on the 26-year-old QB, who is entering the final year of his contract.

In 17 games last season, Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards (4,624), but he also threw a career-high 14 interceptions. He faltered in his first playoff game, posting a subpar 15.3 QBR in a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

During a Thursday appearance on "CBS Sports HQ," NFL insider Jonathan Jones suggested a Tagovailoa extension would be a "dollar more" than Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert's contract. (Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5M last offseason.)

Miami lacks cap room. Spotrac estimates the Dolphins have $1.42M in cap space, 30th in the NFL. Letting Tagovailoa play on his fifth-year option ($23.17M) and seeing whether he can carry the team on a deep playoff run may make more sense.

"Tagovailoa still has more to prove than Waddle, but Waddle can help his quarterback get paid by continuing to produce as he has in his first three professional seasons," wrote NFL.com's Nick Shook. "After all, Waddle has Tagovailoa to thank for throwing him the passes that lined his pockets. Everybody eats in Miami."

Tagovailoa, meanwhile, has focused on offseason improvements to raise his game and secure a new deal. On Tuesday, Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel shared that he's working with private instructor John Beck, who has helped him increase his arm strength.