Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa abstains from majority of voluntary offseason work, per report
Tua Tagovailoa has been absent for the large majority of voluntary offseason work since the Miami Dolphins reported back April 15, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are hoping for a long-term contract extension prior to the start of the upcoming season.
Tua's absence is believed to be related to the contract, Jones reports.
It's important to know it is not unheard of for veterans to miss some or even all of the voluntary portion of NFL spring activities.
The Dolphins and Tua figure to eventually agree to a deal worth just over $50 million per season.
What does Tua Tagovailoa's contract look like?
A good comparative contract is Detroit's Jared Goff.
Goff just agreed to a four-year deal worth $212 million. That's $53 million a year.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has previously expressed confidence that Tua will participate in organized team activities.
Will Tua Tagovailoa report for upcoming OTAs?
There are three OTAs next week and the week after.
"I do expect Tua to be in OTAs only because of my working relationship with Tua," McDaniel said on March 25. "For two years, I’ve watched Tua gain some unbelievable residuals towards the season in that process. It’s part of the reason Tua is who he is because he’s always learning, never staying the same and always working on his craft. I know the one thing that he likes to do now in his life, besides be a kick-ass dad to Ace and Maizy, is play football with his teammates.
"That’s what I expect. I don’t really put too much thought beyond that. I understand the business, but I also understand my job with Tua is to make sure that his football is continuing to evolve and the best days are in front of him, which are both of our goals.”
It's important to reiterate, again, that spring activities are voluntary. That is aside from a mandatory minicamp on June 4-6. That will wrap Miami's offseason, until training camp in late July.
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards last season.
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passer rating the season before.
Tua is scheduled to make $23.2 million on a fifth-year option this season.
The Dolphins can potentially reduce Tua's 2024 cap hit with a new deal and structure.
Other quarterbacks in Tua's draft class — Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love — have received contract extensions, with Burrow at $275 million and $262.5 million for Herbert.
More: Tennessee offensive coordinator on Jaylen Wright: powerful, violent runner
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa voluntary offseason work absence before Dolphins OTAs
