Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa addresses long-team contract prospects at Pro Bowl
ORLANDO — Tua Tagovailoa was a Pro Bowler and here he was, reflecting on memories of watching Peyton Manning perform in Hawaii as well as playing flag football as a 5-year-old linebacker in Hawaii, his home state.
"Really cool," Tua was saying Friday before an AFC Pro Bowl practice at Camping World Stadium. "It still hasn't sunk in."
Tagovailoa's regular season was a success. The Dolphins quarterback led the NFL in passing yards. And he was named Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News.
"My main goal this year was to play, you know, 17-plus games and I was able to accomplish that goal and just very fortunate that I was able to do that and very happy too," Tua said.
This is a celebratory event, of course, and there are six Dolphins here, indicative of Miami's 11-6 record and a high-flying offense.
"Well-earned, well-deserved," Tua said of Terron Armstead, Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, Alec Ingold and Jalen Ramsey. "I mean, everyone here works hard."
Tua hopes to hit Universal Studios while here, along with his wife and two children, including a newborn.
Recently, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said he wants Tagovailoa with the club "long term." Does Tua believe that will happen?
"I believe that will happen," Tua said.
He seemed sincere. Does Tua know something about the status of long-term contract talks? Hard to say.
"I'm gonna let, you know, my agents, Chris (Grier), Mike (McDaniel), let those guys talk about that and let them move forward accordingly," Tua said.
Tua has led the NFL in passer rating. He's still in search of a first playoff win. He still believes the ceiling can be higher.
"There's probably four things that I want to get better at," Tua said. "Am I going to share? Probably not. But I'm looking forward to OTAs, and when we get to OTAs, we'll see you guys again."
Does that mean that Tua will be at spring camp with or without a new deal?
It seems pretty obvious he would be.
Of course, he is also presently under contract for a fifth season.
Tagovailoa is already thinking about going a lot further in 2024.
A Super Bowl run?
"Well, I, I think it takes, it takes a lot more than what we probably thought, you know we needed," Tua said. "We needed a little extra."
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 X/Twitter @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
NFL Pro Bowl Games
3 p.m., Sunday, Camping World Stadium, Orlando
TV: ESPN, ABC, DISNEY XD, ESPN+, ESPN DEPORTES and NFL+
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins News: Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa addresses contract situation
