The Miami Dolphins committed to Tua Tagovailoa as their franchise QB for the future by giving him a massive payday last summer ahead of the start of the 2024 season. 

The Dolphins inked their quarterback to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with $167.1 million guaranteed. 

It was a bold move, considering although Tagovailoa has shown flashes of greatness and got the Dolphins to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, he has a history riddled with injuries and could be one concussion away from retiring. He also plays in the ultra-competitive AFC where Patrick Mahomes is the juggernaut and Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are just a few of the elite passers Miami would have to get past to make a Super Bowl. 

Still, there’s no question the Miami Dolphins are a better team when Tagovailoa is on the field. 

Earlier this season, he missed four games with a concussion — and at one point was rumored to be considering retirement — and the Dolphins offense took a major hit. Mike McDaniel’s high-powered offense plummeted to dead last in the NFL while Tagovailoa was sidelined. And when he returned, the Dolphins strung some wins together but the four losses when he was out dug the team into too deep of a hole to climb out of. 

Barring another catastrophic injury or concussion, the Dolphins are tied to Tagovailoa as their QB through 2028 unless the team wants to eat a massive amount of cash. 

Injuries were a major narrative of Tagovailoa’s first three seasons in the NFL as he missed time each campaign, including multiple concussions. In 2023, he showcased his promise and ability to stay healthy, leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards while playing all 17 games.

But with the 2024 season being yet another reminder how fragile the Dolphins QB situation is, the franchise is exploring every option at the position this offseason. 

With the NFL Draft approaching in April, reports coming out of the Senior Bowl are saying the Dolphins have talked to a highly-touted quarterback Tagovailoa is plenty familiar with. 

Jalen Milroe has been the starting QB at Alabama the last two seasons, the same school where Tagovailoa shined during his collegiate years. C. Isaiah Smalls of the Miami Herald reported that the Dolphins have already had discussions with Milroe about coming to Miami and learning behind Tagovailoa. 

“Bama QB Jalen Milroe has had conversations with the Miami Dolphins about their backup quarterback position, he said,” Smalls posted on X. “Also added that the conversations went well.” 

Milroe — who is viewed in the second tier of QBs in this year’s draft class behind Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders — is a fascinating dual-threat passer that has the potential to thrive in McDaniel’s offense. 

He finished his collegiate career at Alabama with 6,016 passing yards, 45 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.