The Miami Dolphins spent a year putting themselves in the position to land their quarterback of the future. After selecting him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa agreed to terms on his rookie deal with the Dolphins on Monday.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the deal is worth $30.275 million over four years and carries the fifth-year team option. The deal also comes with a $19.6 million signing bonus and is fully guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
As part of the deal, under the NFL’s new collective-bargaining agreement, the fifth-year option will become fully guaranteed if the Dolphins exercise it after Tagovailoa’s third NFL season. The value of the option will be based on escalators in the contract for Tagovailoa’s performance, following the CBA’s new guidelines.
Tagovailoa already picked out his new jersey and excitement is already building in Miami for the upcoming season. While Tagovailoa comes with medical concerns, which led to speculation he would fall in the NFL Draft, he was one of the most talented players in the draft class.
If Tagovailoa isn’t ready to start Week 1, the Dolphins could let Ryan Fitzpatrick serve as the bridge before the rookie is ready. Given the hype surrounding Tagovailoa, though, it likely won’t be long before he is leading this team.