Another reason Tua Tagovailoa is about to get big money

The Miami Dolphins released linebacker Jerome Baker and defensive back Keion Crossing on Tuesday. The NFL team already had parted ways with defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and plans to release cornerback Xavien Howard when the league’s 2024 business year starts in one week.

Releasing Howard will provide the Dolphins with $18.5 million in salary-cap relief for the 2024 season, which is what the cuts have been about. While the NFL salary cap jumped to $255.4 million for the coming season, Miami’s current contract obligations for 2024 are $15.675 million more than that figure, and only the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are in a worse cap squeeze than the Dolphins.

That financial outlook would seem to favor the faction that wants to see more from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa before offering the former Alabama All-American a long-term contract.

But Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he wanted to get a long-term contract completed with Tagovailoa this offseason.

“I think we’re hopeful,” Grier said. “When you go through these things – you guys have all been around and you see other teams go through that – these are deals that very rarely come together quickly. There are a lot of pieces and moving parts. We’ve had positive discussions so far, and we’ll keep working here throughout the offseason.”

Tagovailoa is scheduled to play the 2024 season on his fifth-year option. Miami used its option on Tagovailoa’s rookie contract last offseason to keep him out of free agency this year, but it came with a guaranteed salary of $23.171 million for the 2024 campaign.

Rather than a deterrent to a big-money contract for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ salary-cap situation is another reason to sign the quarterback to a new deal.

Tagovailoa’s salary for the 2024 season is also his cap number for 2024. But paying Tagovailoa more could free cap space for Miami, as long as the “more” part came in the form of the signing bonus for his new contract.

At $23.171 million, Tagovailoa is 16th in line for quarterback pay in 2024 before the free-agency money comes in for Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield.

Take out the 10-year contract of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the other five of the top six quarterbacks on the 2024 pay list have similar deals. Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson, Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray are working on five-year contracts with an average value of $260.6 million. The average signing bonus on those deals was $30.6 million.

If the Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a contract that matches the average of the top five, Miami could come up with a cap savings of $15.926 million for 2024 over what his fifth-year option will cost.

For salary-cap purposes, signing bonuses are prorated over the length of the player’s contract, up to a maximum of five years. A $30.6 million signing bonus would count $6.12 million against the Dolphins’ 2024 salary cap.

If Tagovailoa worked for the league minimum base salary of $1.125 million for a four-year player, his salary-cap hit would be $7.245 million even though his payday would be $31.725 million.

That structure also would leave Miami on the hook for about $55 million in salary for Tagovailoa for each of the next four years. But increasing salary caps and contract restructures could make that less burdensome.

That’s also next year’s problem. Grier and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel are trying to win in 2024.

“We’re strong believers in him,” Grier said about Tagovailoa. “And you guys all feel Mike’s passion about him when he talks about him. Just in the two years of what he’s done, he’s grown in areas to where he led the league in passing and did some great things this year. And we all feel there’s still another level he can take it. I think if you asked Tua that, he’d tell you that, too. And so just his growth on and off the field, being voted captain last year and then seeing how he is behind the scenes with guys and holding people accountable, it’s huge. I think the way he’s attacked this and wants to be great and the combination of Mike and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there’s still another level which he could go.”

Tagovailoa joined the Dolphins as the fifth selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. He led the NFL in passing-efficiency rating in 2022 and in passing yards in 2023 as Miami made the playoffs in both seasons.

The knock against Tagovailoa entering the 2023 campaign had been his injury record. After becoming the Dolphins’ starting quarterback in the seventh game of his rookie season, Tagovailoa had been unable to start in 11 of Miami’s next 44 games.

In 2023, Tagovailoa started every regular-season game plus a playoff contest.

But a new knock on the quarterback emerged: In 2024, the Dolphins posted an 11-0 record against teams that finished the season with a losing record but were 1-6 against teams that posted winning records, including two losses apiece to the Bills and Chiefs.

Grier isn’t expecting any pushback from Tagovailoa in the form of skipping offseason workouts as the Miami front office and the quarterback’s representatives work up a new contract.

“I think everyone, if we can do something, would like it done before the season,” Grier said. “But you’ve seen over the last few years, some of these other big deals that have been done have gone all the way into training camp, because they are complicated deals to put together with the money and stuff people are talking about.

“I think Tua is a professional. I think he loves his teammates, he loves Mike. But, again, players have the right to do whatever they do at that point in the spring. We anticipate him being here and being around as we work through it.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.