After A Third Concussion In Three Years, What Happens To Tua Tagovailoa’s $212 Million Contract If He Retires?
ByJoey Heldon September 18, 2024inArticles›Sports News
The Miami Dolphins got soundly defeated by the Buffalo Bills during Thursday Night Football . However, the much larger concern for the Dolphins is the health of their quarterback Tua Tagovailoa , who left the game with a concussion.
It’s Tagovailoa’s third concussion in as many seasons, and it’s prompted discussion around the league about the quarterback’s future in the NFL. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce openly said he’d tell Tagovailoa to retire . Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson also commented that if something similar happened to one of his players, he’d have to “do the right thing for the player.”
Here’s where things get even murkier. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July. The deal includes $167.2 million in guarantees.
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Per Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti , $43 million of that contract has been paid already. That leaves about $124 million in guarantees remaining on Tagovailoa’s deal.
If he’s medically forced into retirement, he can receive the entire $124 million—he’d have to express a desire to play but be unable to because of doctor’s orders. However, if a doctor clears him to play and he still opts to retire, then he probably won’t take home that $124 million unless he negotiates a settlement with the Dolphins. Tagovailoa could also seek multiple opinions from doctors, which could lengthen any kind of arbitration.
The Dolphins have a bit of flexibility, too. They can trade Tagovailoa after this season and gain salary cap space. A similar thing would happen if they cut Tagovailoa next summer—they’d have a dead cap hit of $47.4 million in 2025 but would gain cap space in 2026.
Perhaps Tagovailoa is ultimately cleared in the coming weeks and gets back on the field to lead the Dolphins. Should he get cleared and choose to retire, what’s most likely to happen is some sort of agreement between the two parties. He almost certainly wouldn’t get everything he’s owed, but Miami might offer some money in good faith.
The number one priority for Tagovailoa is getting healthy. Whichever route he chooses, it could very well turn into a nine-figure decision.
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The Philadelphia Eagles Are Going To Spend A TON Of Money On Quarterbacks Next Season
ByTravis Pulveron May 7, 2016inArticles›Sports News
The purpose of the salary cap is to level the playing field as much as possible. Smart teams are careful about how they spend it and do not commit too much to one position. That is what makes the Philadelphia Eagles’ approach to the quarterback this off-season bizarre.
They started by signing Sam Bradford to a rather generous two-year, $35 million contract with $21 million guaranteed. He didn’t do enough last season to earn a long-term deal, but they felt like he was worth bringing back for another shot.
Another curious move followed that one: they signed Chase Daniel to a three-year, $21 million contract. For a possible starter, it is a fair deal, but for a back-up, it is insanely high. According to the Eagles’ new head coach, Doug Pederson , Daniel is going to be the just that.
At this point, most teams would start paying more attention to other positions, but not the Eagles. Before the draft, they traded a bunch of draft picks to the Browns for the No. 2 pick. With it, they would select the quarterback of the future – North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz .
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Thanks to the rookie wage scale, we can make a reasonable assumption as to how much Wentz’s contract will be. He’ll earn somewhere in the vicinity of $26.7 million over the next four years.
From a personnel standpoint, the Eagles have been smart. Bradford hasn’t won the job and has injury concerns. Daniel has shown promise, but you can only tell so much about a guy during the preseason and in Week 17 games when most starters are not playing.
Wentz had an incredible career with North Dakota State and looked great in the drills. However, it is not unusual for guys to struggle with the transition from the FBS to the NFL. Coming from the FCS, his transition is going to be even more challenging.
By signing three potential starters (four, if you want to count McLeod Bethel-Thompson), they are bound to find one that will work. From a salary cap standpoint, the Eagles have been foolish. Once they sign Wentz to a max-deal (four-years, $26.7 million), they will have four quarterbacks under contract for $83.9 million.
The number looks a little better when you look at just the salary cap hit for next season. Before the draft, they had $18.1 million in cap space committed to quarterbacks. Once Wentz signs, that total will be around $24 million. That’s the sixth-highest in the league.
It is important to note that the five team teams above them (and most of the teams below them) are spending the majority of their quarterback allocation on one guy, rather than spread it across three players.
With limited funds and plenty of holes to fill on the roster, you would think the Eagles would be a little more careful about how they allocate money. If they don’t make some tough decisions, it is going to get a lot worse next season. Bradford’s cap hit jumps to $22.5 million, and Daniel’s becomes $8 million.
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