Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel likes where things are headed in terms of contract negotiations between the team and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa is entering the final year of his rookie deal after the Dolphins exercised his fifth-year option and is currently slated to hit free agency next offseason.
However, McDaniel says Miami is trying to get things done with the young signal-caller.
“Both his representation and our organization are hard at work,” McDaniel said, via Daniel Oyefusi of The Miami Herald. “Those timelines are impossible to predict. My main concern this offseason has been communicating what Tua needs from his head coach and his offensive coaching staff, which is what things can we identify to continue the progression of your game the same way that we have since Day One.”
Tagovailoa is somewhat of a polarizing figure, as many question if the Dolphins can actually win a Super Bowl with him under center.
People can say what they want about whether or not he is a system quarterback, but there is no denying the numbers he is posting.
This past season, the 26-year-old led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards to go along with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also completed 69.4 percent of his passes while registering a passer rating of 101.1 en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Tagovailoa, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by Miami with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
He didn’t really come into his own until 2022, when he totaled 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight picks while completing 64.8 percent of his throws and recording a league-high 105.5 passer rating in 13 starts.
The Dolphins went 11-6 and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs this past season.
Miami has not won a playoff game since January 2001, but Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa are looking to change that moving forward.
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