Report: Dolphins do not offer Tua a market contract

The Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may not be quite as close to a contract extension at this point in the offseason.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington on the network’s “NFL Live” program, the Dolphins’ offer to Tagovailoa is not comparable to other quarterback deals in the recent past, such as those signed by Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions or Trevor Lawrence with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Currently, the Dolphins are not offering a contract that matches his market value,” Darlington said.

“We’re not panicking yet. I just think I need to tone down my earlier optimism a little. … From what I’ve talked about, they’re not at the level of Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence.”

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has previously expressed his willingness to give Tagovailoa a long-term contract extension in the offseason before he plays the fifth and final season of his rookie contract in the fall, leading to a general consensus that a deal will ultimately be signed despite the delays.

“I’ve been optimistic for a long time that Tua Tagovailoa can get this deal done,” Darlington said. “I’m not saying it won’t work out, because that’s what happens in general. But right now, there are five words hanging over this contract negotiation. And those are the words that came out of Tua’s mouth: ‘The market is the market.'”

That was one of Tagovailoa’s key quotes when he last spoke to reporters at the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp in early June, when he seemed a little perturbed by how long it had taken to reach an agreement.

The question was about Goff, the Detroit Lions quarterback who receives $53 million per year, and the interaction took place before the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to an average annual value of $55 million with Lawrence.

“The complicated thing is that the Dolphins could point to the Jared Goff deal and say, ‘Well, we’re not the Detroit Lions; we don’t make that decision.’ But then after Trevor Lawrence passes, you have a situation.”