Dolphins Looking to Keep Tua Long Term

As he generally does, Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier won't get into many specifics when it comes to contract talks with Tua Tagovailoa except for one thing.

He wants the quarterback around for a long time.

Grier addressed the biggest question of the offseason Monday in the annual season wrap-up media session alongside Mike McDaniel and was asked about his desire to sign Tua, who already is under contract for 2024 on his fifth-year option, to an extension.

"We've had conversations," Grier said. "We stayed in touch with his agent, had good conversations throughout the year, never talking about money or anything, just good conversations about where he is and the relationship with Mike and the team here and everything he's done.

"The goal is to have him here long term playing at a high level. That's always the goal and we'll continue, we'll communicate with him through the offseason here and like we've always said in the past, you guys know me, we don't really talk (in the) media through all that stuff. So we'll just we'll keep all those talks internal and with his reps."

Tagovailoa currently is scheduled to make $23.2 million under the fifth-year option, which the Dolphins exercised way ahead of the deadline last offseason.

While fellow 2020 draft class peers Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert got contract extensions in 2023 averaging in excess of $50 million annually, Grier wasn't about to go anywhere discussing financial terms when it comes to Tua.

Depending on how an extension would be structured, it's entirely possible the Dolphins might be able to reduce his cap number of $23.2 million for 2024.

McDANIEL's GOAL FOR TUA

After Grier addressed Tua's contract situation, McDaniel was asked what he wants to see from his quarterback in the offseason.

Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards and finished fifth in passer rating, but — like the team in general — came up short against playoff opponents and struggled in the frigid weather conditions at Arrowhead Stadium in the playoff loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night.

"I I just want to see him make sure the curve continues to be exponential in his growth, where we've seen at every stretch of the way him improving," McDaniel said. "What we see in him, learn from all the things that he goes through, I think that's the one thing that I can say in my two years of experience with him is he's as good of a learner has ever seen. That's what I want to see is that continued thirst to find different ways, while maintaining and growing your confidence but finding different ways to always create new edges in your game.

"I think he he just needs to continue to do what he has been doing in terms of progressing and I'll be very much happy with that."

McDANIEL's GOAL FOR TUA

McDaniel-Grier 2023 Season Wrap-Up Takeaways