TUA TIME
Patrick Mahomes drops down highest-paid NFL QB list after Tua Tagovailoa’s $212.4m contract extension with Dolphins
Mahomes comes in at an insanely low spot on the highest-paid list
TUA Tagovailoa has signed a massive contract to remain with the Miami Dolphins.
Tua was set to play 2024 on the final year of his rookie contract, but the Dolphins have signed him to a four year extension.
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Tua and the Dolphins agreed on a four-year, $212 million extension to keep him in Miami through the 2028 season.
His massive contract slides him ahead of some elite quarterbacks around the NFL.
Tua is now the third-highest paid quarterback in annual value at $53 millionper year, only behind Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow who each make $55 million per year.
Behind Tua sit players like Justin Herbert at $52.5 million, Lamar Jackson at $52 million, and Jalen Hurts at $51 million.
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The most surprising of all these names though is Patrick Mahomes, who isn't even a top-paid quarterback anymore thanks to Tua's deal.
At $45-million per year, Mahomes is tied for the tenth-highest paid quarterback in the league, even after winning back-to-back Super Bowls.
The Dolphins continually expressed faith in Tua as their franchise quarterback, and continually expressed a desire to sign him to an extension.
After the 2023 season ended, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier explained how much the team loves the pairing of head coach Mike McDaniel and Tua.
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"We're strong believers in him. And you guys all feel [coach Mike McDaniel's] passion about him when he talks about him," Grier said.
"Just in the two years of what he's done, he's grown in areas to where he led the league in passing and did some great things this year. And we all feel there's still another level he can take it.
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"The way he's attacked this and wants to be great, and the combination of Mike and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there's still another level which he could go."
Ultimately, the Dolphins gave Tua the ultimate sign of faith by signing him to the high-value deal.
The contract includes $167 million guaranteed, which is the eighth-most guaranteed money among quarterbacks in the NFL.
Tua's contract is now the largest ever given out in Dolphins history.
For persepctive, Hall of Famer Dan Marino made $51 million in his entire 17-year Dolphins tenure. Tua will make $53 million in just the 2025 season.
A detail of Tua's contract that may fly under the radar, but is extremely important, is that it keeps him paired with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle through the 2028 season.
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The two were teammates at Alabama before becoming teammates on the Dolphins, and have formed an elite pairing even with Tyreek Hill getting a bulk of receptions.
In three seasons, Waddle and Tua have combined for 3,385 yards and 19 touchdowns, a strong showing that the Dolphins hope will continue for the next three years.
Hill will continue to feature alongside them through at least the 2026 season, but he too has expressed a desire to extend his contract with the Dolphins.
"The only thing I told (agent) Drew (Rosenhaus) was, 'Do not get me traded, bro. The last time you did this, you got me traded,'" Hill said at training camp on Tuesday.
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"That’s been my only thing to him. I want to stay here in Miami, man. This is where family is now. Everybody loves it here, family loves it, wife loves it, kids love it.
"Obviously, I love playing for coach [Mike McDaniel], and my teammates are awesome. I wouldn’t want to leave, man."
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