National Football League

Tua Tagovailoa inks $212M extension with Dolphins, but is he worth it?

Published Jul. 27, 2024 2:56 p.m. ET

Tua Tagovailoa has officially signed a record-setting four-year, $212.4 million extension with the Miami Dolphins that keeps him in The Magic City through 2028.

With the 26-year-old's contract officially inked, all first-round quarterbacks from the 2020 NFL Draft — Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert (Chargers), Jordan Love (Packers) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles) — now have their long-term contracts sealed. Love, who signed a four-year, $220 million deal the same day as Tagovailoa, is now the highest paid signal-caller in the league.

The sports world was quick to begin debating whether Tagovailoa is deserving of the elite money, and James Jones shared his thoughts on a recent edition of "Speak," saying that he isn't happy about players getting paid for potential.

"I'm happy for Tua," he said. "I'm happy for anyone that gets paid in the National Football League. … What I'm not happy about [is] every other position — you get paid off of your play and how you play. Forget the value, forget all that, you get paid off how you play and how good you are at your position."

The former NFL wideout noted that if the San Francisco 49ers, for example, didn't pay Brock Purdy as much as they did, then Brandon Aiyuk would be on the field right now. Aiyuk recently requested a trade amid no contract resolution.

"I want the owners to spend this money, but spend it on other players too," Jones added. "Good quarterbacks in the middle of the pack … should be getting the middle-of-the-pack money … to pay the other players on your football team."

Nick Wright discussed that he believes Miami's ownership thinks of Tagovailoa and if he agrees with the move on a recent edition of "First Things First."

"I think it's a mistake," he said. "I really like Mike McDaniel. He's very sharp, and I have graded him on a curve — which is look at everything he is doing with, to me, an obviously limited quarterback. He now has seemingly signed off, and advocated. The curve is now removed, you have now signed off on this guy. I wouldn't tie myself to Tua at north of $50 million dollars a year … [but] the Dolphins have.

"I think there is a ceiling on their team with him as the quarterback."

Tagovailoa was absent for one day of training camp due to no contract decision. His teammates, receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, previously praised him for his skill and technique while contract negotiations were going on.

The Dolphins now enter their fifth year with Tagovailoa and are aiming for another playoff berth after losing last season to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

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