NFL execs on Tua Tagovailoa's future, Dolphins' next moves - ESPN

The afternoon of Friday, July 26, 2024, came alive with a big splash:the latest NFL quarterback megadeal. For the Miami Dolphins, the news held a deeper meaning that money couldn't quantify.

Miami, maligned at the quarterback position for decades, had a starter it could trust. Tua Tagovailoa's four-year, $212.4 million extension — including $167 million in guarantees — signified stability for which the franchise was starved. Miami started 21 quarterbacks between Dan Marino's retirement after the 1999 season and drafting Tagovailoa in 2020. The Dolphins lauded the deal for Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in passing (4,624 yards) in 2023. Then-general manager Chris Grier said the team's key figures were «strong believers» in him and forecasted how Tagovailoa would validate the investment.

«The way he's attacked this and wants to be great, and the combination of Mike [McDaniel] and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there's still another level,» Grier said in a statement.

Seventeen months later, the Dolphins have cratered toward their second consecutive losing season, Tagovailoa is on the bench due to uninspired play and Miami fans long for those heady days from that summer. Benching Tagovailoa will have a ripple effect for the team (and its payroll), the player and a league that must proceed with caution when considering the next good but not great quarterback eyeing $50-plus-million per year on a new contract.

Sorting out the mess will take time. Miami is trying to finish the season on a winning note and must hire a general manager in the offseason. ESPN reached out to sources around the league to try to make sense of the situation.

Some evaluators saw a quarterback who, at 27, was aging