Big Deal: 25 year old QB set to sign a trade deal with Dolphins for $50 million

The Miami Dolphins are reportedly working to keep Tua Tagovaila as their franchise quarterback. Keeping Tua in Miami won’t be cheap.

There were questions about Tua’s fit in Miami following the Dolphins’ first-round exit to the Kansas City Chiefs in January. The Dolphins usually explosive offense put up seven points against the Chiefs in a frosty Wild Card game. The Dolphins only had to play in Kansas City because they dropped their Week 18 home game to the Buffalo Bills, costing them the AFC East.

There was heavy speculation the Dolphins could trade Tua and bring in a veteran. The Dolphins were expected to look at trading Tua or Jaylen Waddle. It appears Tua is staying.

Per Armando Salguero with OutKick, the Dolphins are working on a deal that will pay Tua over $50 million a season. The deal reportedly isn’t if, it’s when:

General manager Chris Grier said Wednesday he’s been talking to Tagovailoa’s agents since the offseason began and will meet with them in person during the combine to continue discussions on a deal.

A league source said the complex deal is nowhere near completion, but when it gets done, it will “easily” put Tagovailoa in the $50-million-plus per year club that only four other NFL players, all quarterbacks, currently belong.

Salguero said the contract will be high enough the Dolphins will have to conserve cap space at other positions like the Cincinnati Bengals (Joe Burrow), Buffalo Bills (Josh Allen), and other teams with elite quarterbacks do.

The Dolphins have spent excess resources to improve Tua’s quality of life under center. They traded for Tyreek Hill and added Waddle in the draft. The Dolphins scored seven points with them in the postseason.

How much will they score with Tua if they can no longer afford Waddle and Hill?

The Dolphins would be smarter to execute an extension more like the New York Giants did with Daniel Jones last offseason. The four-year deal allows the Giants to pull out of the deal early with only $82 million guaranteed of the $160 million extension.