Tua Tagovailoa is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and is pushing for an extension. The star QB is only partially participating in the Dolphins’ training camp

Discussions about a contract extension between Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins have been dragging on for some time now.

Even though the 26-year-old was present at the start of the Dolphins’ official training camp, he will probably not take part in team drills for the time being, according to several US media outlets. The situation was similar at the beginning of the voluntary OTAs in May.

Head coach Mike McDaniel also explained that Tagovailoa would initially only take part in some of the sessions.

“It’s important to accept that Tua is in the middle of a contract negotiation,” McDaniel said Tuesday before the start of training camp. “We’ll take it day by day. Today I expect it to go like OTAs, and then we’ll go from there.”

The quarterback’s rookie contract expires in 2026 – Tagovailoa would make $23.171 million this season. That is significantly less than some other star quarterbacks in the NFL.

Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, who were also drafted in the first round in 2020, already received their big contract extensions a year ago. The Bengals playmaker now earns 55 million dollars a year, the Chargers playmaker 52.5 million.

Tagovailoa, who recorded the most passing yards in the NFL last season (4,624) and led the Dolphins to the playoffs with an 11-6 record, is therefore due for an extension now at the latest.