The Miami Dolphins have secured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with a four-year contract extension worth a record-breaking $212.4 million, as reported by various media outlets on Monday.
With an average annual salary of $53.1 million, Tagovailoa will be the third-highest paid quarterback in the NFL, trailing only Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. The contract features $167 million guaranteed, ranking eighth among quarterbacks.
According to ESPN, the details of the deal were reported based on information from Tagovailoa’s agency, Athletes First. Although the Dolphins have not officially announced the extension, the team shared a video of Tagovailoa on their social media on Friday afternoon.
Prior to this extension, Tagovailoa was under the contract from when he was selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft. He sought a deal akin to those of Burrow and Justin Herbert, who were also drafted that year and later signed multi-year contracts exceeding $200 million after their rookie deals.
During the negotiation process, Tagovailoa actively participated in the team’s offseason workouts, and he was fully involved on Friday following the initial days of training camp.
After facing multiple concussions in his first three NFL seasons, Tagovailoa set himself up for a substantial pay increase with a productive and injury-free 2023 season, throwing 29 touchdowns and leading the league with 4,624 passing yards.
The Dolphins made it to the postseason but were eliminated in the first round by the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, which marks 24 years since Miami’s last playoff victory.
This contract extension will keep Tagovailoa in Miami until 2028.
