The Miami Dolphins have a significant dilemma to address this offseason, particularly at the game’s most crucial position: how much should they pay starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa?
It’s undeniably a problem that is splitting much of the fan base right now. Is Tagovailoa worth the $50 million or more that some projections now suggest? Is the Lions’ four-year, $212 million contract with Jared Goff a starting point for the Dolphins?
According to veteran NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus, who spoke with South Florida sportscaster Josh Moser on Sunday evening, that’s a reasonable comparison for what Tua might expect from the Dolphins.
“I think it has to be in the ballpark of Jared Goff,” Rosenhaus said. “To me, they’re comparable players. I think, when you look at Tua’s statistics comparable to Goff, they’re pretty close. I would be surprised if it’s not a similar deal.”
Rosenhaus also noted that reaching a deal is something the Dolphins have been planning all offseason as evidenced by them allowing several key free agents to leave.
“I think the Dolphins have been planning all along to get Tua’s deal done. I don’t see much impact at all. They’ve already sacrificed guys like Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Emmanuel Obgah, Jerome Baker, Xavien Howard. The Dolphins have been in a budgetary-disciplined mode this entire offseason with their signings, I think, in anticipation of getting deals done for guys like Tua and others.”
Comparing the stats of Goff and Tagovailoa over the last two years, when both quarterbacks took big steps forward in their respective careers, the numbers are actually pretty comparable. Over 34 games, Goff threw for an average per game of 265 yards, 1.74 touchdowns, and 0.56 interceptions per game. Over 30 games, Tagovailoa threw for 272 yards, 1.8 touchdowns, and 0.73 interceptions per game.
Pretty similar. As such, Rosenhaus could be right in that the Dolphins could be looking at a ballpark of a Goff-type of offer in order to get Tua’s camp to agree to a deal.