I’m undecided should you’ve heard but, however the Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a contract extension, as first reported by Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, for a complete of $212.4 million with a new-money common of $53.1 million.
Tons of hypothesis surrounded how a lot there can be in ensures and when the Dolphins might have a possible out within the contract.
Mike Florio of Professional Soccer Discuss was the primary to dive into the small print and reported that the sensible ensures within the contract had been settled at $147.2 million by way of 2026, together with a $42 million signing bonus and $2 million in incentives between 2025 and 2026.
In response to Spotrac, there $93.17 million is assured at signing. This features a $42 million signing bonus, a $1 million 2024 base wage, a $25 million 2025 base wage, and a $25 million roster bonus.
There’s a $54 million 2026 base wage assured in March of 2025 and harm assured at signing.
The potential out for the Dolphins within the contract comes after the 2026 season. At that time, Tagovailoa would’ve collected round $152 million over the primary three years, with a lifeless cap of $19.8 million left on his contract if he’s reduce earlier than March 2027.
Within the meantime, the extension lowers Tagovailo’s cap hit from his fifth-year possibility variety of $23 million right down to $9 million, creating $14 million in 2024 cap house, rising the Dolphins cap house to $23 million, as reported by Barry Jackson.
This newfound cash might get a deal executed with different Dolphins gamers coming down the pipeline or an sudden deal just like the Tyreek Hill commerce a couple of years in the past.
Right here’s how the contract shakes out utilizing Spotrac, with the entire cash Tagovailoa would make annually and what the cap hit can be for the Dolphins.
2024: $43.125 million / $9 million
2025: $51.046 million / $59.446 million
2026: $55 million / $63.4 million
Dolphins potential out – $19.8 million lifeless cap earlier than March 2027
2027: $37 million / $45.4 million
2028: $49.4 million / $57.8 million
These are the nuts and bolts of the contract, in addition to the incentives which are throughout a contract with playtime and playoff wins. In 2029, if a brand new deal isn’t reached, Tagovailoa would turn into an unrestricted free agent and will money out whereas he’s nonetheless on the younger of thirty at thirty-one years previous.
Additionally, one thing to remember is that the Dolphins might restructure a few of these large cap hits into bonuses, and even when that doesn’t occur, these cap hits wouldn’t exceed 22% of the projected whole wage cap, which is the median of high ten quarterbacks.
With this deal, the Dolphins hold their franchise quarterback centered and prepared for the season with an out after three years, and Tagovailoa will get to gather $150 million by that point.
That appears like a win-win in my eyes.
