Tag: tua tagovailoa

Chris Grier on deal with Tua Tagovailoa: ‘When it happens, it happens’

Dolphins GM Chris Grier sounds confident a deal with Tua Tagovailoa will get done.

Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier isn’t putting a deadline or timeline on contract negotiations with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He’s confident that a deal between the two sides is inevitable, though.

“When it happens, it happens,” Grier told reporters Tuesday at a pre-draft press conference. “We’ve had communications with him and I’ll leave those between the organization and his representation. It’s been good. So we’ll just keep working towards it.”

Grier said contract talks are currently on pause as the team is focused on the 2024 NFL draft for the time being. He said the Dolphins will turn its attention back toward negotiations with Tagovailoa after the draft.

Tagovailoa, 26, earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career last season after leading the league with 4,624 passing yards. While he struggled with concussions during the 2022 season, he led the league with a 105.5 passer rating.

Still, there are enduring concerns about injuries and consistency. Even in a career-best 2023 season, Tagovailoa threw 14 interceptions, fourth most in the NFL. The quarterback struggled late in the year too, with four touchdowns and five interceptions across Miami’s last two regular season games and its postseason appearance.

Grier made it clear Tuesday that the Dolphins aren’t even considering drafting a replacement, though.

“I would say that’s not somewhere I’m looking at in the first round,” Grier said of the quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft. “It’s not a position we’ve even talked about. There’s some good players, but we’re very happy with Tua and where he is with us.”

Tagovailoa is scheduled to play the 2024 season on the $23,171,000 fifth-year option of the contract he signed as a rookie.

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Watch: Tua Tagovailoa shows glimpse of reworked throwing motion

Tua Tagovailoa is honing his craft this offseason.

It’s still early in the 2024 offseason, but it looks like Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been in the lab working on his craft.

On Tuesday, a production company called G.O.A.T. Farm Media posted video of a recent training session for Tagovailoa that appears to show a reworked throwing motion for the 26-year-old passer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5jrTqKPPNA/

It’s not a drastic difference, but there appears to be even less windup to Tagovailoa’s already tight motion and it looks like he’s working to step through his throws and use additional hip torque.

There have been rumors that Tagovailoa began working with 3DQB this offseason, a quarterback training company that has worked with a long list of players that includes Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Lamar Jackson. The company’s coaches include Tom House and former Dolphins quarterback John Beck.

The video from Tuesday, which tagged 3DQB, appears to be further confirmation that Tagovailoa is getting consultation from the best in the business.

Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards last season with 4,624 and earned his first career Pro Bowl nod.

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Tua Tagovailoa says ‘exciting times ahead’ amid contract talks

Tua Tagovailoa still sounds optimistic that contract talks with the Dolphins will end with a long-term deal this offseason.

At the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, Tua Tagovailoa told reporters that he believed a long-term deal with the Miami Dolphins would get done. Two months later, the quarterback still sounds optimistic.

At the inaugural Tua Foundation youth football camp in Hawaii, Tagovailoa was asked by a reporter about the status of his contract talks with the Dolphins.

“They’ve been good. Right now, I’m letting my agent handle that,” Tagovailoa said, via KHON. “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.”

Tagovailoa, 26, is currently set to play the 2024 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. The former fifth overall draft pick played a full, 17-game season for the first time in his career in 2023 and led the NFL in passing yards with 4,624.

However, he struggled late in the year, throwing two interceptions in both of the team’s costly Week 17 and 18 losses to the Ravens and Bills that handed Buffalo the AFC East crown. In the Dolphins’ 26-7 playoff loss, Tagovailoa completed only 51.3 percent of his passes for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Still, it seems the Dolphins are moving forward with negotiations that would ensure Tagovailoa is the team’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

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Saints’ Derek Carr, Chris Olave ranked just outside of Top-10 QB-WR duos

Derek Carr and Chris Olave had a rocky first year together, but there’s potential for greatness. B/R ranked them close to the top 10 QB-WR duos:

Where do Derek Carr and Chris Olave rank in the NFL as a duo? The New Orleans Saints’ quarterback and top wide receiver obviously are not on the elite tier with big names like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase or Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.

Individually, Carr isn’t in that conversation after a decade in the league, and Olave hasn’t reached that status yet going into his third season. But they have a lot of room to grow together. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton has the pairing ranked right outside the top 10 as an honorable mention:

Derek Carr had an up-and-down first year with the New Orleans Saints in part because he played through injuries, but the 10-year veteran established a strong rapport with Chris Olave, who caught 87 passes for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns as the focal point of the 11th-ranked passing offense.

Perhaps the Saints offense takes a step in the right direction under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. If it does, look out for Carr and Olave to pick up where they left off in 2023.

That rapport took a while to find. Early in the season there was a clear disconnect between Carr and Olave. Olave’s effort was being questioned which led many to question his feelings towards his quarterback. Carr blowing up on Olave, when Carr was in the wrong, didn’t help matters either. As the season went on, however, they began to get on the same page and seemed to have a better relationship.

It’ll be interesting to see if they hit the ground running this year with a season under their belt. Being an honorable mention is a start. In order to crack the top 10, Olave will likely need to surpass 1,200 yards. Carr is who he is at this point in his career, but the addition of Klint Kubiak is here to elevate the passing attack schematically. As important as the players’ chemistry is, the new offensive coordinator is the most important piece.

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Photo Gallery: Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown moments from Oklahoma and NFL

Best photos of former Sooners Marquise Brown and Kyler Murray together.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1t2nsndjkjaww7jem playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1t2nsndjkjaww7jem/01g1t2nsndjkjaww7jem-1daf769ef883f3782ddc9db6583674ff.jpg]

There’s just something about a bond between teammates that draws you together long after you’ve played together. When teammates from college head to the NFL, it’s kinda rare that they get the opportunity to continue playing together.

Though recent drafts have bucked the trend with Ja’Marr Chase joining Joe Burrow in Cincinnati and Jaylen Waddle joining Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, you don’t often see quarterbacks and wide receivers from college on the same team.

Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown had the opportunity to play together for two seasons in Arizona. Now a free agent, Brown is heading to Kansas City to join Creed Humphrey, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Though they’re no longer teammates, the bond the two have shared over the years carried over to social media as Kyler Murray reacted to the news.

Here’s a look back at [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] and [autotag]Marquise Brown[/autotag] together.

Tyreek Hill hopes Tua Tagovailoa adopts a mindset similar to Patrick Mahomes’

#Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill said that he hopes Tua Tagovailoa can adopt a mindset similar to that of #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes next season.

The opponents from the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2023 championship season continue to speak out weeks after Super Bowl LVIII.

The latest player is Miami Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who has plenty to say about his former team.

On the latest episode of The Pivot Podcast, Hill revealed his thoughts on his Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s attitude compared to Patrick Mahomes.

“That’s one thing our quarterback [Tua Tagovailoa] is going to add because, with Pat [Patrick Mahomes], we all had a relationship with Pat,” said Hill. “Like, we’d all hang out. We’d all do stuff outside of football, and in Miami, we’re still building that. It hasn’t got to that yet.”

The Chiefs defeated Hill’s Dolphins twice last year, once in the regular season and the wild-card round of the playoffs. Tua played well but didn’t match Mahomes’ performance, making gritty clutch plays to seal victories.

“This year, it’s going to get to that,” Hill explained. “We had some battles already, but it ain’t been a battle where it’s like we can have a conversation, but then we can come back the next play and be like, ‘Hey bro, I think you should do that.’ It’s been, ‘Nah, [expletive] you,’ I’ll talk to you later or next week.

“We don’t need that. It needs to be like, ‘Look, bro, we need to do this; you need to get open. I need to be better.’ And then we need to come back and talk about it, not have grudges against each other, because we’re all trying to win. Being able to have tough conversations is needed, I feel like.”

Hill remains confident that the Dolphins are the better team regardless of the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl titles since his trade. Spectators criticized Mahomes’ fiery attitude on the sidelines during the season, but it appears his teammates, including former Chiefs like Hill, see the value in his expressions.

Roll Tide: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had a gift for PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap

“Better write ‘Roll Tide’ on there.”

What do Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap have in common?

They were both so good at their respective sports that they were able to leave the University of Alabama early to turn professional.

Last month Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 33 years with his victory at the 2024 The American Express. The 20-year-old sophomore then turned professional a week later and is making his fourth start as a professional this week at the 2024 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Before the event, the Alabama native and lifelong Crimson Tide fan shared a moment with Tagovailoa, who won a national title in 2017, and even got a little gift as well.

Dunlap shot a 4-under 67 in the opening round and sits just three shots off the early lead in the first event of the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing.

COGNIZANT CLASSIC: Friday tee times, TV info | Photos

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Colin Cowherd snubs Dolphins in 2024 playoff picks

Talking head thinks Dolphins will miss the playoffs in 2024.

The 2023 NFL season just ended last weekend with the Kansas City Chiefs claiming their third Lombardi Trophy in the last five years with their win over the San Francisco 49ers.

In just his second season as Miami Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel got his team to the postseason for the second year in a row, a feat that no Dolphins coach had achieved since Dave Wannstedt did so in 2000 and 2001.

Despite that fact, some believe that Miami will miss the cut next year.

On his FOX Sports show “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd spent time this week projecting who will make the playoffs next season, and the Dolphins weren’t one of the seven teams that he named. His picks included the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers.

In fact, Cowherd gave a reason for his line of thinking.

“Nothing against Miami, but Tua was completely healthy this year,” Cowherd said. “Think that’s going to happen again next [year]?”

Cowherd is correct that 2023 was the first season that Tagovailoa played all 17 regular-season contest and their lone postseason game. With him under center, the Dolphins finished the year with an 11-6 record and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions. Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards and set career highs in yards, touchdowns and completion percentage.

Going against Cowherd is that when Miami made the playoffs in 2022, just a year ago, Tagovailoa dealt with multiple concussions that kept him out of a number of games, including the team’s playoff loss to the Bills.

There’s so much that can and will change by the time the playoffs come around in 11 months, but if the Dolphins go into the year with the exact same roster that they did in 2023, they’d be better set up for success if Tagovailoa were to go down. Mike White, who is the presumed backup, has experience in the system, unlike Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson, who were asked to lead the team down the stretch in 2022.

McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier have done a great job of putting talent around their starting quarterback and he certainly excels in that role, but even if he were to get hurt again in 2024, they should be able to keep moving forward until Tagovailoa is ready to go again.

And, more than that, having the Bengals and Colts in the playoffs and keeping Miami out because of quarterback health doesn’t make much sense.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson missed most of his rookie season with a torn ACL. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who was taken in the same draft as Tagovailoa, suffered a torn ACL in his rookie season and missed seven games due to a wrist injury in 2023.

It doesn’t make much sense to pick and choose.

NFL exec suggests Dolphins should trade QB Tua Tagovailoa, sign a veteran

Should Miami trade Tua Tagovailoa and sign a high-priced veteran?

The Miami Dolphins are coming off of an 11-6 season that saw them knocked out of the playoffs after just one game for the second year in a row.

Now, head coach Mike McDaniel and company have a decision to make at quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa entering the final season of his rookie deal – a fifth-year option worth $23.17 million.

While the Dolphins have a number of options to proceed with Tagovailoa, The Athletic’s Mike Sando provided one that hasn’t been discussed much – training him.

In Sando’s column, he lays out three choices Miami could make with Tagovailoa which include allowing the quarterback to play out his fifth-year option or extending him now. However, the most palatable idea in Sando’s mind is for the Dolphins to trade Tagovailoa and sign Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is set to be a free agent in March.

“Your upside with Tua certainly seems limited,” an exec told Sando. “So, let’s say you can trade him. I would be exploring, ‘OK, Tua, we can win games with, probably not winning a championship with. Kirk Cousins, we can win games with, probably not winning a championship with. But our resources are better spent on Cousins plus draft picks than they are on just Tua.”

Tagovailoa is coming off the best season in his career where he led the league in passing yards and set career highs in yards, touchdowns and completion percentage while playing in 17 games for the first time since entering the NFL.

“If you like Cousins and you can sign him to a three- or four-year deal and you can trade Tua for a couple of draft picks, that to me is a different type of path forward,” the same exec told Sando. “I don’t know if it is the best one. You really have to be in that building to know, but if you are looking for alternatives, there is a pretty good one.”

Cousins will be 36 when the 2024 NFL season begins, and he’s coming off a torn Achilles that has been a career-ending injury for a lot of players in the past. Betting on the veteran, who does have experience in the McDaniel-Kyle Shanahan system, to stay healthy and be as effective as he has been into his late 30s or early 40s is a high-risk proposition.

At this point, it seems like too much of a gamble, and if the reports of Cousins looking for $90 million guaranteed over the next two years are to be believed, the Dolphins might be better off sticking the year out and seeing what Tagovailoa can do in his third season in the offense.

WATCH: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s top 10 plays of 2023

Top 10 plays from Tua Tagovailoa’s 2023 season.

After the Miami Dolphins 2022 season ended with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sitting out the final three games due to the former first-round pick suffering another concussion, not many predicted the type of year he’d have in 2023.

Tagovailoa bounced back by playing in all 17 regular-season contests as well as the team’s lone postseason battle. He set career highs for completion percentage (69.3%), touchdowns (29) and passing yards (4,624 – which led the NFL).

The Dolphins finished the regular season with an 11-6 record and were knocked out of the playoff by the eventual Super Bowl champions – the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the aqua and orange now fully in offseason mode, the Dolphins content team took the time to compile Tagovailoa’s 10 best plays of the year and rank them.

All of these plays were extremely impressive, but the two first two highlights from the Los Angeles Chargers game might be underrated. The first was an incredible throw on the run, while the other required arm strength and pinpoint accuracy to complete.

Miami will consider a long-term deal with Tagovailoa this offseason, and if 2023 was an indication of what he’ll start building upon going forward in the Mike McDaniel offense, the sky may be the limit for the unit.