On Thursday, the Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence agreed to a massive five-year contract extension worth $275 million. The contract included $200 million in guaranteed money, with $142 million due at signing. To simplify, he’ll make $55 million per season, tied with Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow for the most in football.
The deal sounds nice for Lawrence — the former first-overall pick from the 2019 NFL Draft — but if you’re Tagovailoa, you must feel a bit slighted. After all, the numbers suggest that Tua has been superior to Lawrence in almost every facet of his game. But don’t believe me. Check out this graphic I found on Twitter .com.
As you can see, besides potential coming out of college, the only thing Lawrence has over Tua is his ability to extend plays with his legs, something Miami’s QB1 is looking to expand on this offseason. Lawrence also has a playoff victory, which we can’t overlook. But from top to bottom, Tagovailoa has the advantage statistically, and you have to believe that his new agents at Athletes First have to agree.
On Saturday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Judy Battista discussed the latest on Tua’s contract negotiations. Pelissero and Battista suggested that $55 million per season is the new floor for Tagovailoa and his camp after Trevor’s extension.
“Miami, of course, has the leverage of a couple of franchise tags they could apply beyond (the fifth-year option),” Pelissero said. “But this was always a deal that when it gets done, it’s going to be $50M+ for Tua Tagovailoa. And you can certainly make an argument, Judy, that with a Trevor Lawrence deal, $55M is now the new floor for Tua in Miami.”
Batista echoed his sentiment but went even one step further.
“There’s no question, and Tua when he made those comments, ‘he was antsy,’ that’s the word he used… imagine how he must feel now that Trevor Lawrence — a guy who was drafted a year after Tua was drafted — he’s already got his extension. Tua’s is not done yet. Certainly, $55M is now the new floor for Tua. And if the Miami Dolphins are not there and they want to get this deal done before they open training camp, they have to get there. Because that is the number and the number is only rising with every day that passes.”
In conclusion, the Dolphins and Tagovailoa are at a crossroads. Whether that be with guaranteed money, the duration of the contract extension, injury guarantees, or another caveat, no one truly knows.
What we do know, however, is that if the Dolphins and Tua do not agree to terms on a new deal before the 2024 NFL season, we should all start to worry. Not only because Miami’s franchise quarterback would be playing in the final year of his contract but also because quarterbacks like Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and Green Bay’s Jordan Love would likely get paid first. And if that were to happen, Miami would have a real problem on their hands. One that I don’t even know if Grier and his right-hand man Brandon Shore could solve their way out of.
Yes, $55 million per season is a lot of money, but if the Dolphins want to stay out of quarterback purgatory — as we all witnessed for two decades after Marino retired — they’ll do what needs to be done to make their franchise quarterback happy. Pay Tua Tagovailoa, it’s really the only way.
What are your thoughts on Trevor Lawrence’s new contract extension? Do you think the Miami Dolphins should match it? Do you think the Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa will agree to a contract extension before the start of the 2024 NFL season? Let us know in the comments section below!
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