The Dolphins displayed a level of commitment to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earlier in the offseason when they exercised the fifth-year option on his contract for 2024.
But the team hasn’t reached a long-term agreement with Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick of the 2020 draft.
As the Dolphins get ready to open the season against the Chargers in Los Angeles, General Manager Chris Grier said on Wednesday that Miami is putting contract talks with Tagovailoa’s representation on hold until after the season.
“I think just think for him, it’s just to let Tua play again,” Grier said, via Alain Poupart of SI.com. “Those things can be a big distraction, family, friends, you guys [the media], everyone constantly asking him about it. His agents and I have had discussions just general but not really about that and just kind of agreed, like, let’s just let him play out the season, and then we’ll attack that in the offseason.”
Tagovailoa put together his best season in 2022, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,548 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led the league among qualified players in passer rating (105.5), yards per attempt (8.9), and yards per completion (13.7).
But the biggest question with Tagovailoa remains whether or not the quarterback will stay healthy. He missed four games last season — plus the playoff loss to Buffalo — and has never played more than 13 games in a season.
