Former Dolphins executive pegs Miami as a team who won't be active in free agency
The Miami Dolphins have plenty of work to do to improve their roster in key areas after a second straight year of falling apart down the stretch to barely make the playoffs. In fact, they've got a lot of work to do just to replace a number of open roster spots with players who are […]
The Miami Dolphins have plenty of work to do to improve their roster in key areas after a second straight year of falling apart down the stretch to barely make the playoffs.
In fact, they've got a lot of work to do just to replace a number of open roster spots with players who are becoming free agents. With the Dolphins still working to get down to the salary cap by March 13 to be compliant at the start of the new league year, the prospects of free agency are relatively grim for Miami in 2024.
However, former Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum, who served as executive vice president of football operations from 2015-18, lists one more major reason why the Dolphins won't end up as players in free agency, and that's because of the money they'll end up committing to their quarterback this offseason.
The Dolphins' focus this offseason is on how they're going to handle extending QB Tua Tagovailoa, who's going into the last year of his rookie deal. A market extension would be a minimum of $45 million per year, which would hinder Miami from being an active participant in free agency.
The Dolphins exercised their fifth-year option back in March 2023 on Tagovailoa, who they took with the fifth pick of the 2020 draft. The Dolphins' starter earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2023, throwing for a league-high 4624 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His 69.3% completion percentage was the highest of his career.
While the money will be an issue as Tannenbaum points out, the timing of it all could also be an issue. Chris Grier indicated at the combine that it's possible it could go way past free agency to work out a deal, perhaps up to training camp or the start of the season. However, Grier surely knows what type of window he's working in with Tua's camp as far as an extension and will have to account for that with any free agency signings.
Regardless, Miami is likely going to invest a significant amount of money in their future in Tagovailoa. And that will likely limit what they can do in the present. A tough situation for a team looking to win now.
