ESPN: Tua Tagovailoa 'can point' to Trevor Lawrence's new contract in negotiations

Tua Tagovailoa is still in the middle of contract negotiations with the Miami Dolphins but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said a recent deal could impact Miami.

Trevor Lawrence just signed a massive new contract extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is a five-year contract extension with $275 million with $200 million guaranteed and $142 million at signing. That will pay him $55 million annually, which ties him with Joe Burrow for the largest annual deal for a quarterback in the NFL.

So for Tagovailoa, he has a negotiation tactic thanks to Lawrence.

“Tua can point to Trevor Lawrence’s deal and say, ‘Hey, look, I just led the league in passing. I played 17 games, showed that I’m durable. Let’s try to get something done,'” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “And so the sense I get after asking around is the Dolphins do want to do a long-term deal, they’ve wanted to for a while. 

“They have been in contact in recent weeks. Nothing has intensified as of yet. It’s late June, this is typically a pretty slow time for front offices as they take time off. Could heat up closer to training camp, but the feeling is that they’re going to revamp their efforts. They’re not naive. They know what the market now is with six different quarterbacks making at least $50 million a year, so Tua should join that club, eventually.”

Earlier this month, Tyreek Hill made it known Tagovailoa should’ve been paid by now. The Dolphins wide receiver wants his quarterback in town long-term after last year’s success.

“Tua should’ve been paid,” Hill said. “I’ve been saying this all offseason, man, and I know we’ve got a great front office with [Chris] Grier and [Brandon] Shore. They’re gonna get it done. Obviously, a lot of people are comparing it to the Jared Goff situation and stuff like that, but I feel like Tua is supposed to be up there with and past some of those guys because just understanding his story and the progression of how he’s getting better each and every year and how he’s carrying this offense is crazy.”

After dealing with injury concerns over the last couple of seasons of his football career, Tagovailoa played in every game in 2023. He led Miami to an 11-6 record and made the Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in passing with 4,624 yards.