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The Miami Dolphins have a decision to make on their future, specifically regarding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. They have to decide whether or not they want to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Tagovailoa made strides this season, but he wasn't all that impressive before then. The Dolphins brought in Mike McDaniel as head coach and Tyreek Hill at wide receiver. How much of their success was from them or from Tagovailoa?
One NFL insider believes the Dolphins shouldn't even consider picking up the option.
Chris Simms said:
“We're just a year removed of a guy that wasn't doing good things, you know, was careless with the football even injured in those years, admitted that he didn't work hard enough and prepare the way he should, right? So, now we're just gonna go hey, fifth-year option definitely and we're gonna give him a huge contract, what? No way! There's no way, I wouldn't do that if I was running the football team.”
Simms didn't mince words. Tagovailoa now has a concerning head injury history and wasn't worth picking up the option for the first few seasons of his career.
He believes there's no way the Dolphins should even think twice about it, and to take it a step further, Simms believes they shouldn't offer him a big contract, either.
He also believes Tagovailoa's own admission that he wasn't working as hard as he should be should be very cautionary for the Dolphins front office.
What can the Dolphins do if they move on from Tua Tagovailoa?
It's possible that the Dolphins could draft Tua Tagovailoa's replacement in 2024. He has another year to prove himself and could earn a big contract, but the Dolphins might also want to walk away.
They will also have options (though not a lot of excellent ones) in the 2024 free agency class, including:
- Kirk Cousins
- Joe Burrow
- Justin Herbert
- Jameis Winston
- Ryan Tannehill
- Jordan Love
- Mitchell Trubisky
These options aren't that great, and the good ones (Burrow or Herbert) will likely be extended by their own team. Nevertheless, the Dolphins are now at a crossroads.
