The Miami Dolphins reportedly refuse to pay Tua Tagovailoa his market value

After being slowed by injuries for his first three years, Tua Tagovailoa is coming off his best NFL season yet. He started all 17 games for the first time in his career, led the NFL in passing yards and led the Miami Dolphins to the second-best offense in the league.

Even though the Dolphins ultimately fell far short of their goals after colliding with the Super Bowl-qualified Kansas City Chiefs in what looked like a second edition of the Ice Bowl, Miami can be confident that they have found their franchise quarterback.

For some reason, the Dolphins haven’t been able to agree on a contract value for their 26-year-old cornerstone. Currently, Tagovailoa is scheduled to finish the year on a $23.1 million contract, but he will become a free agent after the season ends. And we’ve all seen that entering the open market can lead to inflated prices on free agents.

Any team that doesn’t have a franchise solution at quarterback is a candidate for a major role in Tagovailoa’s free agency process, and the Dolphins know it. We’ve seen several other quarterbacks sign huge contract extensions this offseason, from Trevor Lawrence’s five-year, $275 million deal to Jared Goff’s four-year, $212 million deal. Players are constantly changing the market for the highest-paid quarterback.

Miami Dolphins won’t pay Tua Tagovailoa “Jared Goff money”

But where does Tagovailoa land? According to Spotrac, his market value is $52.6 million per year, just below Goff’s annual value of $53 million.

Nevertheless, the Dolphins apparently believe that Tagovailoa is not even worth the current market value.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington and Omar Kelly, the Dolphins are not budging in negotiations. They won’t even match the contract Goff signed this season.

“(The Dolphins) are not offering a contract that reflects market value. From my conversations, they are not at the level of Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence.”

Jeff Darlington on Tua Tagovailoa’s contract extension with the Miami Dolphins

Soon @ESPNNFLLIVE @JeffDarlington seemed a little pessimistic that the Tua deal would be completed at “market price.”

I have long said #Dolphins are confident in their position that they will not pay Tua a contract salary like they did with Goff. pic.twitter.com/yo6bqCVmif

— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) 25 June 2024

How does Tagovailoa feel about this? He has previously said, “The market is the market,” which seems to indicate that he and his agency know his value. The Dolphins, however, don’t seem to agree, which is why there has been such a long delay in signing him.

Related: See where Tua Tagovailoa lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings