MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa is annoyed and disappointed. He wants a new contract from the Miami Dolphins but hasn’t received an offer that he finds palatable.
That’s bad news for Tagovailoa. But it might be even worse for the franchise if things don’t get resolved soon, as we explore in our latest episode of the PFN Miami Dolphins Podcast.
Could Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Actually Hold Out?
Before we get into the analysis, here’s a quick recap of the most revealing passages of Tagovailoa’s remarkable news conference on Tuesday.
Did you think there’d be more [contract] progress at this point?
“Well, I think there’s been a lot of progress at this point. From where we started, there’s been a lot of progress. Now, you can ask the other question, then why aren’t we seeing an agreement? Well, that’s the tough part about it — that’s why it’s business. That’s why you’ve got one side and the other trying to work to meet in the middle.”
Do you view those numbers that others get around the league as benchmarks for your negotiations, like Jared Goff getting $53 million per year?
“I’ll tell you one thing; the market is the market. If we didn’t have a market, then none of that would matter. It would just be an organizational thing. It didn’t matter if that guy got paid that because it’s up to the organization. So that’s what I would say — the market is the market. That’s it.”
Are you confident that a deal will get done before training camp?
“I’m confident that a deal will get done. But then again, it’s not in my control. It’s really up to both sides meeting in the middle with this.”
You’re a passionate and emotional guy. Is it difficult for you to separate the two things out there?
“Yeah, 100 percent, 100 percent. For people that talk about business is different than personal, sure, I can agree to some extent. But who you are as a person, for what you do business and personal, is who you are with how you do everything. That’s how I see it. That’s just how I look at it. And if not, if you can be two different people at once, hey, by all means, you can do that. But to me, that’s just not how I am.”
Are you frustrated with where things stand right now?
“Not frustrated, I’m another word.”
Agitated? Annoyed? Bothered?
(Long pause, followed by a big Tua smile)
“How about that pause? I’m just wanting to get something done. That’s it. Just wanting to get something done.”
Concerned? Is that…?
“Not concerned. Concerned is not the right word. That’s way off from the word.”
Antsy maybe?
“Probably antsy.”
Pissed off?
“I wouldn’t say pissed off. I mean, this is the nature of the beast, right? This is how it goes.”
All Options on the Table for Tagovailoa?
The next six weeks are a critical time for Tua and the franchise.
The Dolphins have Super Bowl aspirations. Tagovailoa has lofty personal and team goals. None of those can be met without the two sides working together.
But if Miami doesn’t give Tagovailoa what he wants (and our guess is the dispute is over guarantees), he could make things really uncomfortable for them. He could continue his hold-in.
Tua could hold out (which, depending on the length, would cost him hundreds of thousands in fines).
And he could even demand a trade.
We don’t know what’s next. The last time the Dolphins had a high-profile quarterback contract dispute? It involved Dan Marino — decades ago.