Tua Tagovailoa and Dak Prescott sit as the most-talked-about stars in the league waiting for a pay bump. Of course, the literal million-dollar question is how much to pay them. In Tua Tagovailoa’s situation with the Miami Dolphins, the answer is at least somewhat clear.
At least, that is what Donovan McNabb believes.
Speaking on Wednesday’s edition of “Up & Adams” via The Cold Wire, former Eagles Super Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb named one quarterback Tagovailoa deserves more money than.
“I think he deserves more money than Jared Goff,” McNabb said.
The retired Eagles quarterback said “at least $50 million” per season. Then, when pressed if he wanted to back that number knowing it is more than what Goff is making, he did exactly that.
He went on to explain that the “timing of it all” played a big role. McNabb backed Tagovailoa to go on a playoff run, which would raise his asking price.
By paying Tagovailoa now, they make that point irrelevant in the short term. Of course, in another five years, he could point back at his 2024 accomplishments, but it won’t matter nearly as much as what he had accomplished in other years.
Tua Tagovailoa continues slow but consistent upward trend for Miami Dolphins
The biggest question with any player in the NFL is whether they are trending up or trending down. Players that trend up tend to get raises and extensions while players that trend down tend to get salary downgrades.
While Tagovailoa hasn’t handed the Dolphins a Super Bowl appearance, he has demonstrated empirical improvement over the years. As such, while the team doesn’t have an AFC reigning season under their belt, they are bound to if Tagovailoa continues getting better over the years.
According to Pro Football Reference, since joining the Dolphins in 2020, the quarterback’s passing yardage has only trended upward. In 2020, he threw for 1814 yards. Then, in 2021, he threw for 2653 yards. In 2022, he threw for 3548 yards. Last season, he threw for 4624 yards.
When it comes to throwing touchdowns, the same pattern of a linear increase occurred. He started with 11 touchdowns and last year threw for 29 touchdowns. While not a linear improvement every year, Tagovailoa finished 2023 with the highest completion percentage of his career.
Overall, Tagovailoa’s pros have been his ability to improve. His cons have been an inability to usurp Patrick Mahomes despite the presence of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Mostert, and De’Von Achane.
Will Tua Tagovailoa secure a breakout deal this offseason?
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