Tua Tagovailoa finally has a deal in place with the Miami Dolphins . The Green Bay Packers ended up beat in the run to see who would extend their quarterback first, but it might work out just fine for general manager Brian Gutekunst and cap guru Russ Ball.
On Friday, the Dolphins agreed to pay a four-year, $212.4 million contract to Tagovailoa. While it's obviously a big amount, the yearly average stayed at $53.1 million. This is slightly more than what the Detroit Lions paid Jared Goff , but still behind what Joe Burrow got from the Cincinnati Bengals and Trevor Lawrence will make with the Jacksonville Jaguars — $55 million per season.
It's fair to think that Jordan Love won't accept anything less than Tagovailoa got, even though the Dolphins' quarterback has a bigger NFL track record. Love showed a higher ceiling in his first season as a starter, and the flow of the market tends to reward anyone who gets paid later.
But that's also what brings this point home. Theoretically, Tua Tagovailoa has had better numbers than Lawrence, he finalized his deal later, and still got almost $2 million per year less.
Even if Love beats Tua's total value and eventually becomes the highest-paid quarterback in football, it doesn't seem like it will be by a large margin. Had Tagovailoa himself beat Burrow's and Lawrence's average, Love would have a real chance to explode the market.
More questions
If the total value might favor the Packers in the negotiation, Jordan Love will probably win the timeline battle. It's trending in the direction of a four-year extension, which would allow Love to be in position to negotiate a new extension before he turns 30 — or around this mark.
If it's $55 million in yearly average, that would mean $220 million in total value.
As Jordan Love is already under contract through 2024 for $11 million, the quarterback would be connected to the Packers through 2028 for $231 million — $46.2 million per year in real value.
Both Love and Tua share the same representing agency, Athletes First, even though they have different individual agents.
Negotiations
The Packers and Jordan Love are making progress towards an extension, according to The Athletic's NFL insider Dianna Russini. NBC's Mike Florio also reported that Love's deal is "pretty close."
Jordan Love is expected to become the highest-paid quarterback in football history, meaning he will get at least $55 million in yearly average.
Love finished 2023, his first season as a full-time starter, with 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He is already under contract through 2024, slated to make $11 million, but he probably won't practice and play before signing the extension aligned with his current market value.
Related: The quarterback market revolution: Examining the decade's financial landscape in the NFL
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