Report: Tua Tagovailoa skipping majority of Dolphins OTAs as agent negotiates new deal

What’s this?Tua Tagovailoa is skipping OTAs. Sure, they’re not mandatory. But the Dolphins quarterback, in past years, always was there.

CBS Sports, quoting unnamed team sources, said Tagovailoa has been absent for the “large majority” of the workouts since they started April 15. Phase 3 begins Monday. And it’s unclear whether Tagovailoa will be at the Dolphins’ Miami Gardens football complex.

CBS Sports reported that the skipping of workouts is intentional. Tagovailoa, the former Alabama standout, is headed into his fifth year in Miami. The Dolphins already picked up his fifth year option. Because he was a first-round draft pick (No. 5 overall in 2020), he was eligible for a fifth year on his rookie deal.

He’s set to make $23.71 million this season. That’s a nice amount to his the checking account. But it’s half as much, at a minimum, as the other top quarterbacks in the NFL.

The going rate for the best QBs is $50 million or higher. Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengal, currently is the highest paid with an annual salary of $55 million. He signed a five-year extension last year. Jared Goff signed the most recent big deal. The Lions will pay him $53 million, annually. Patrick Mahomes, with his three Super Bowl rings, makes $52.65 million. And there’s a strong case he should be making more.

Then there’s Justin Herbert. The Chargers renegotiated with him last year, giving Herbert an annual salary of $52.5 million. Lamar Jackson also agreed to a long-term deal with the Ravens last summer, which gives him $52 million. And the Eagles gifted Jalen Hurts with a salary of $51 million. Aaron Rodgers, the oldest quarterback in the NFL, makes an average of $50,271,667 with the Jets.

No doubt, Tagovailoa is well aware that Burrow and Herbert were in his draft class. Burrow, who dazzled at LSU, was the top choice of the 2020 draft. Herbert went No. 6, one pick after Tagovailoa. Burrow suffered season-ending injuries in years one and four. But in years two and three, he took the Bengals to the Super Bowl and two AFC title games. Herbert led the Chargers to the playoffs in 2022. But he had injury issues last season.

Meanwhile, back in Miami, Tagovailoa isn’t talking much. In early April, the Dolphins quarterback traveled to Hawaii, his home state, for a football camp sponsored by his foundation. He mostly declined comment about his contract.

“Right now, I’m letting my agent handle that,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “I’m focused on my family, I’m focused on continuing to better myself, better my craft and we’ll talk more about that when that time comes. For now, exciting times ahead, that’s for sure.”

Dolphins management probably still is concerned with Tagovailoa’s durability. But the quarterback’s season last fall signaled that he can handle the hits. He played in all 17 regular season games, plus the playoff loss to the Chiefs. He threw for 4,624 yards.

Now, will the Dolphins make Tua part of the elite $50 million QB club? That’s a situation that needs watching in the weeks leading up to training camp.