Jalen Hurts was not the first quarterback selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he was the first to receive a contract extension. Will Hurts’ contract agreement spur other teams to lock in their young QBs from the 2020 draft class soon?
Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love were all also selected in the same year as Hurts. But unlike Hurts, who was a second-round pick, each of the four above were first-round selections. Aside from Love, each has established themselves as franchise QBs.
Yet, since each of the unsigned QBs were first-round picks, they are all eligible for a fifth-year contract option, giving their organizations an extra year to negotiate a new deal. Only heading into the 2024 season in a contract year wouldn’t be ideal for any starting QB or their franchise when it comes to having long-term security.
One of the key decision-makers faced with those challenges, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, recently opened up about whether Hurts’ extension would impact their plans to negotiate a new contract with Tagovailoa.
“Happy for (Hurts). He’s a good kid, I met him years ago. For us, at the end of the day, it’s a piece of information. We monitor it. But there’s going to be other quarterbacks coming up still, who knows how soon? So the market will fluctuate based off those. So, for us, happy for him and the Eagles getting it done. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really move our needle until we have to do something.”
Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier on how Jalen Hurts’ extension may impact Tua Tagovailoa contract talks
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Tagovailoa has already had his fifth-year contract option picked up by the Dolphins, which at least keeps the former fifth overall pick in Miami through the 2024 season. Based on Grier’s comments, the Dolphins may be content with waiting until next offseason to get too deep into negotiations with their 25-year-old QB.
Depending on the contracts Burrow and Herbert receive, while also considering Tagovailoa’s performance and durability, the price now may be entirely different than 12 months from now. Whether Tagovailoa’s value skyrockets or plummets remains to be seen, but this is a gamble the Dolphins seem willing to take.
For now, Grier suggests they “always hope Tua will be” in Miami, where he can be “successful, long-term” for the Dolphins. After flashing his Pro Bowl potential last season, it seems the only factor getting in Tagovailoa’s way is his health, which means the 2023 season will be as important as ever for the young Hawaii native.