Tua Tabbed on Most Polarizing Player List

The Miami Dolphins quarterback seems to have as many detractors as he does supporters

Michael France | Jun 3, 2024

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) participates at training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex, Sunday, July 30, 2023 in Miami Gardens. / JEFF ROMANCE/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA

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Miami Dolphins

Ever since the Miami Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa in 2020, there have been plenty who believe in him, while others doubt he will be the quarterback to lead South Florida back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1985.

With a new contract around the corner for Tagovailoa, both camps are left to debate whether he is the Dolphins' answer — and what exactly his price tag should be.

The perspectives on Tagovailoa seem to differ greatly, so much so that Athlon Sports' Andrew Perloff included Tagovailoa on his list of the most polarizing players in the NFL. Perloff ranked Tagovailoa at No. 2, behind only the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott.

"Is it the quarterback or the system?" Perloff wrote about the fifth-year NFL quarterback. "It’s not just an annoying online fight between football nerds and the Tagovailoa fans that make up TuAnon ... the Dolphins have to figure out how much to offer him before his rookie contract runs out after this season ... Despite a lack of elite arm strength, Tua is the perfect point guard to distribute the football to Miami’s offensive weapons. He led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in [2023] and orchestrated a 70-20 win over the [Denver] Broncos."

Perloff listed the case detractors normally make about Tagovailoa — the concussions, his lack of size, and of course, his performance in inclement weather.

"He’s 0-5 in games under 40 degrees," Perloff wrote. "The Dolphins knew they didn’t have a chance when it was minus-4 at kickoff at Kansas City in last season’s wild-card matchup. Unless they get homefield throughout, the AFC playoffs typically run through cold-weather cities ... Miami is at a crossroads. Head coach Mike McDaniel could be in trouble if they don’t get further in the postseason. Tyreek Hill just turned 30. And if the Dolphins pay Tua the going rate for good quarterbacks -- $50 million-plus -- they won’t be able to surround him with stars."

Since McDaniel's arrival in 2022, Tagovailoa has thrown for 8,172 yards and earned a passer rating of 102.9. Both rank No. 2 in the league during that two-season period.

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