Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins quarterback, may or may not be sending a message about a prospective contract extension with his spring workouts.
“Tagovailoa has been absent for the large majority of voluntary offseason work since the Dolphins reported back on April 15,” CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones wrote, citing sources, in a column published Friday. “This is in stark contrast to his first four seasons in the league, when Tagovailoa was present for the majority of the volunteer work. Sources believe his absence is due to his contract status.”
Tagovailoa is expected to play this season on the fifth-year option for $23.171 million connected to his rookie deal. Last month, he stated that he would not be “telling anyone what I’m doing this offseason” since he is “a very private person” and prefers to keep such activities “in-house.”
Tagovailoa made his first 17 regular-season starts as a pro this season and led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, according to Pro-Football-Reference. However, given his lengthy injury history, some speculate that the Dolphins may try to protect themselves by including a so-called “escape clause” in a contract extension or retaining his rights under the franchise tag in 2025.
Tagovailoa sustained at least two reported concussions during the 2022 season, and he acknowledged last spring that he “discussed the idea of retiring from football” with family members after those setbacks. He bulked up and trained in jiu-jitsu to keep fit, but it’s unclear how he’d recover from another serious head injury.
“He did come to the facilities early during offseason work, and the team caught him on the field on April 19,” Jones said of Tagovailoa. “It is unknown how long he is willing to stay away. If this continues into training camp, Tagovailoa will face a $40,000 fine for each day he is absent, although a league source said the Dolphins might decrease the fine or dismiss it entirely.
“Voluntary” is the crucial phrase associated with Tagovailoa’s absence from previous sessions. According to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, the Dolphins’ obligatory minicamp will run from June 4 to June 6. Training camp will open sometime in late July.
