Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has received his fair share of criticism, and now that he is entering the final year of his deal, a debate has ensued.
Should the Dolphins pay him, or should they allow him to walk next offseason?
Count former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III in the camp that says Miami should open its checkbook.
Earlier this week, Griffin not only said that the Dolphins should extend Tagovailoa, but he stated that Tagovailoa has been a top-five quarterback in the league for the last two years.
Griffin is sure to get some pushback on that declaration, as the vast majority of people would not label Tagovailoa a top-five signal-caller.
Tagovailoa is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards to go along with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He completed 69.3 percent of his passes while posting a passer rating of 101.1.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by Miami with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
After a couple of pedestrian seasons to begin his career, Tagovailoa broke out in 2022, totaling 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight picks while completing 64.8 percent of his throws and registering an NFL-best 105.5 passer rating in 13 games.
While Tagovailoa has certainly posted some impressive numbers, many feel that he is a product of two great receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Hill arrived in 2022, which just so happened to be Tagovailoa’s breakthrough campaign.
The Ewa Beach, Hi. native has also drawn flak for his struggles in cold weather and his inability to beat good teams.
All of that being said, it seems hard to imagine the Dolphins moving away from Tagovailoa over the next year. They are finally starting to build some momentum as a franchise, and there does not appear to be a solution after Tua Tagovailoa waiting in the wings.
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