By: Mike Rifkin
It is widely reported that the Miami Dolphins are picking up the fifth-year option on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua led the NFL with a passer rating of 105.5 last season and had 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Tua had a great season when he played, and he did miss time last year due to multiple concussions, including the last three games of the regular season.
Picking up on the fifth-year option makes sense for multiple reasons. The first is that paying Tua 23 million dollars instead of 43, which is what the franchise tag would be, is a win. But look at what the New York Giants did with their quarterback Daniel Jones. We can debate if it’s a good or bad deal later, but declining his option and he put together his best season, which costs them 40 million dollars a year. The Bengals, Chargers, and Eagles will all have to pay their quarterbacks this offseason, which could hamper their rosters. Another reason this move makes sense is that the organization is not locking in a lousy deal. They are still evaluating Tua. To most people, that seems like a bad thing, but despite Tua putting together a tremendous regular season needs to show he can stay healthy for an entire season. If he plays well, they’ll give him the long-term deal. They can go elsewhere if he struggles to stay healthy or struggles in general.
Now I need people to bear with me on this. Here is a hypothetical situation, but a part of me wonders if the organization would sit Tua for the season with the concussion issues and let him get his mind right. Sitting Tua for the season would mean the Dolphins need a quarterback for 2023. Enter Aaron Rodgers into the conversation. The Packers are moving the 39-year-old future hall of famer. The only team that has shown interest is the New York Jets. Now if the Dolphins enter the conversation, it would have to be a one-year deal, and then Tua gets back his job next season, and if something happens to Rodgers, you still have Tua. Remember, this is a hypothetical situation. Does that happen? No, I don’t, but it would be something I would consider monitoring because acquiring Rodgers is not like acquiring Lamar Jackson because you don’t have to make a long-term commitment. From an organizational perspective picking up the option on Tua makes all the sense in the world for the Dolphins.
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