Some Key Questions Regarding the Tua Contract Situation

The expected contract extension for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been the story of the offseason for the Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa / JEFF ROMANCE/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA

When it comes to the still-anticipated Tua Tagovailoa contract extension, which remains the hottest topic of conversation with the Miami Dolphins, the two biggest questions involve when he'll sign his new deal and how much it will pay him.

But there are other very pertinent questions related to this situation that sometimes get lost in the shuffle, and they are questions worth asking.

SHOULD IT BE AN AUTOMATIC THAT TUA GETS A NEW CONTRACT?

We'll start with the most obvious one, and the one with the simplest answer. Or maybe simplest. No, the Dolphins don't have to sign Tua to a contract extension before the start of the upcoming season because he's already under contract through the 2024 and then they always could use the franchise tag next spring. On the other hand, though, do the Dolphins have a moral obligation to Tua depending on what they told him last offseason before he cleared one major hurdle in his career, which was to go through a season injury-free.

HOW MUCH PRESSURE DID DETROT'S JARED GOFF DEAL ADD?

Don't think that Tua and his representatives didn't notice what the Lions did for Jared Goff, a quarterback with some similarities to Tua but not somebody who clearly is better at this time. And it's not just that the Lions took care of Goff heading into his contract year, it's the eye-opening amount of money they gave him that made things more complicated for Miami.

WHY ALL THIS TALK ABOUT REPLACING TUA?

One of the arguments most often mentioned in favor of a Tua contract extension sounds something like this: "Well, who else are you going to get?" But the problem with that line of reasoning is that making Tua play on his fifth-year option is not the same as replacing him. Again, the Dolphins have control over Tua's rights for 2024, for 2025 with the franchise tag if they want and maybe even for another go with the franchise tag in 2026. No reasonable media member or analyst ever has suggested simply getting rid of Tua ... unless we missed something somewhere. The whole question is about whether to make a three- or four-year commitment to a quarterback with some issues remaining, namely his performance in clutch situations and against playoff opponents.

DOES THE DOLPHINS' PAST AT QUARTERBACK MATTER?

This is another argument that's often articulated, and it's the idea that the Dolphins finally have something good at quarterback after basically searching for an answer since the day Dan Marino retired in March of 2000. This looks from here like a case of FOMO, where the fear is having to take a step or two back if moving on from Tua is the choice before a better answer finally is found or, worse, spending another 20 years looking for that solution. But that should be irrelevant to the big decision and take a back seat to the biggest question of all.

WHAT IF GOOD ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH?

There's no denying that Tua has been good since Mike McDaniel arrived as head coach in 2022 and the team has made the playoffs each of the past two seasons. But the Dolphins simply haven't been good enough against the better teams, as evidenced by their 3-11 record against playoff opponents (including playoffs), with losses in 11 of the past 12 games.

And while Tua hasn't been the sole problem in those games, it's been part of the problem.

And for those who want to blame injuries for the late-season collapse of 2023, were injuries really to blame for all 11 losses? And were the Dolphins the only team to deal with injuries in those games?

McDaniel keeps expressing his belief that Tua will take another step forward in 2023, but the reality is he actually took a step back in a lot of important statistical areas last season, so it's fair to wonder exactly how he will perform in 2024.

Ultimately it could and should come down to the team's faith in Tua and, based on all the signals they've sent throughout the offseason, the only important questions will remain when and how much.

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