A Journey of Redemption: Miami Dolphins Extend Franchise QB Tua Tagovailoa

By Albert Harris III

Fans of the Miami Dolphins can finally rejoice as the Dolphins lock Pro Bowl QB Tua Tagovailoa in a 4 year deal worth up to 212.4 million in what is the highest 4 year contract in NFL history. Tagovailoa gets 147 million in practical guarantees with 42 million in signing bonuses along with 93.17 million guaranteed at signing, imploding the Dolphins cap space to 23 million. The deal also provides the Dolphins with cap relief as Tua’s cap hit in 2024 dropped to 9.3 mill, making  This was something that was in the works throughout the entire off-season as Chris Grier wanted to lock in his franchise quarterback after going through years of decades at the position since Dan Marino retired. With this signing, the Dolphins not only get to lock in the wheels that get their number 1 offense running but also leave the table for a possible addition to help for a playoff push down the road.

Selected 5th overall in a stacked QB class in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa had an immense amount of hype coming out of Alabama where he shined and won a National Championship against Georgia as a Freshman. Many draft experts had him in conversations to go 1st overall until a catastrophic hip injury derailed his final season in Tuscaloosa and propped up Heisman winner Joe Burrow to be selected by the Bengals. Nonetheless, Tua would still be selected by the Miami Dolphins who were coming off a 5-11 season with rookie head coach, Brian Flores and a campaign that gained  from Dolphins Fan notoriety on social media called #TankforTua. After getting drafted, his time was mostly spent recovering from his hip injury and started only in 9 games throughout his rookie year where he did win a finish with a 6-3 record  that led the Dolphins in the position to make the playoffs but was ultimately crushed in a Week 18 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. 

Despite minor upgrades in the form of drafting Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle, Tua’s 2nd year wasn’t any better as he dealt with injuries to his ribs and fingers thanks to having the 32nd ranked Offensive Line in the league according to Pro Football Focus. Along with injuries, Tagovailoa also faced trade rumors throughout this entire time that didn’t let up around then Texans QB Deshaun Watson going to the Dolphins. Tua would then come back in week 8 in a stellar comeback against the Baltimore Ravens and turn the tide for the Dolphins to go from 1-7 to winning 8 straight games with a chance to to make the playoffs again but the dream was crushed by the Tennessee Titans in a horrible showing. At the end of the season, General Manager Chris Grier and Owner Stephen Ross had a massive decision to make between trading Tua for Watson or firing Coach Flores and they decided to pick the latter and stayed with helping Tua succeed.

Which brings us to Mike McDaniel, the young, eccentric offensive genius for San Francisco coming from the prestigious Shanahan coaching tree. McDaniel took a massive faith into helping Tua develop both physically and mentally with a compassionate approach which ultimately paid off in the end. Throw in a blockbuster trade for future Hall of Fame Wide Receiver as well as a key signing in Terron Armstead and this brings us to today, where Tua had a career year as a pro throwing for 4,624 yards (1st in the NFL), 29 TDs, and 14 INTs with a 101.1 passer rating to top it off. He would then lead his team to an 11-6 record and a playoff berth but ultimately lost to the would-be Super Bowl Champions Kansa City Chiefs. 

The extension of Tua Tagovailoa is more than just an extension, it’s a lesson in not just football but in life that your journey is going to face some highest of the highs like winning a National Championship and rock bottom such as suffering three concussions in one season, but you can’t give up. It’s a testament to the dedication Tua has shown that he managed to deal with the heavy amounts of criticism and retirement talks and kept working on his craft to secure generational wealth for his family. If you watched his story closely like I have this shouldn’t be as surprising because it’s what Tua is as a quarterback and as a person: a warrior.