5th overall pick and new Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was rewarded this week with a deal worth $30.275 million guaranteed over four years.
Without even playing a single snap for the Fins, is this contract a risk?
If Tua had played for three to four years and played well then I would be happy for him to get a new contract.
With the fact the best selling jersey in the NFL this off season has been a Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa jersey, it shows how excited fans are.
However, without the NFL being able to see what Tua can do yet due to the nature of the NFL off season, is $30 million too much for a rookie?
Patrick Mahomes’ rookie contract was worth around $16.42 million and Dak Prescott earned no more than $630,000 in any of his first three seasons.
Tua Tagovailoa was quite rightly the draft choice for Miami. The left handed quarterback, who played college football for Alabama, has excellent accuracy and looks to be able to make exceptional plays out of nowhere.
Tagovailoa, whilst not as quick as the likes of Lamar Jackson or Deshaun Watson, still appears to be mobile. This will help extend him plays and be able to get out of the pocket.
On the other hand, the one concern about Tua was his ability to stay healthy.
Tua had five separate injuries during his three years in Alabama. Who is to say that this would not happen to him again in the NFL.
Tua’s contract shows rookie deals still need work
Miami were right to roll the dice on Tagovailoa, especially considering the fact they passed on Drew Brees back in 2006 when he was a free agent due to his injury concerns.
If he were to be a bust or have a career blighted by injury then at least there are now ‘what ifs’ for Miami.
In conclusion, whether he is successful or does not cut it at the NFL level, I still question the decision to pay Tua quite so much money.
I would have looked to pay him between $5 million and $15 million a year and then waited to see how he gets on. This would also allow Dolphins the ability to free up cap space to help improve the overall team.
Can Tua prove that this amount of money was worth it?
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