Tua Tagovailoa is seeking a new contract with the Miami Dolphins, but no agreement has been reached yet. Will the quarterback respond with an absence?

Is trouble brewing at the Miami Dolphins?

The possibility of trouble brewing between the franchise and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa cannot be ruled out. The two parties have still not reached an agreement on one very important point: a new contract for Tagovailoa.

The playmaker is entering the fifth year of his rookie contract. The problem is familiar from the league: the player would like a long-term contract and more money, talks are initiated, but no agreement is reached.

Tagovailoa will “only” receive 23.171 million dollars in 2024. In comparison: Joe Burrow receives 55 million dollars per year from the Cincinnati Bengals. Veteran Jared Goff recently received a new salary from the Detroit Lions: He now collects 53 million dollars per season.

It is therefore not surprising that Tagovailoa is pushing for a new contract.

The problem: 23 million dollars is undoubtedly far too little. But it wouldn’t be surprising if the Dolphins consider a salary of around or even more than 50 million dollars to be too much. Tagovailoa had the most passing yards (4,624) in the league in 2023, he also received his first Pro Bowl nomination and remained injury-free.

He led the team to the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by the eventual Super Bowl winner Kansas City Chiefs. Too bad for the Dolphins: Waiting any longer could only drive up the price further due to other contract extensions (see Goff).

Foreshadowing potential discord and trouble: Tagovailoa has skipped most of the voluntary offseason work so far, CBS Sports reports. That’s in stark contrast to his first four seasons, when he was mostly present.

Team drills begin Monday as part of the voluntary sessions (OTAs), and it’s unclear if Tagovailoa will be there. Both he and coach Mike McDaniel had announced their participation. Another absence – for which there would be no penalty – can therefore be seen as finger time that there will be no solution to the case for the time being.