Tua Tagovailoa has arrived at Dolphins training camp without a contract extension.
As the fifth-year quarterback waits for a new deal, his participation in practice will vary daily based on communication with Miami head coach Mike McDaniel and the rest of the staff.
"I think it's important to acknowledge that Tua's in the midst of a contract negotiation," McDaniel said in his Wednesday news conference. "That's important to him and the football team. That being said, we communicate very well. It's very fluid. We're taking it day by day. Today I expect it to be kind of like OTAs, and we'll move on from here."
The approach to camp, at least for today, mirrors how Tagovailoa handled the offseason program.
When he attended organized team activities in May, he participated in individual drills and more open, 7-on-7 drills, but he sat out of 11-on-11s.
Tagovailoa is currently slated to play on his $23.2 million fifth-year rookie option, but after elevating his play in two years under McDaniels' tutelage he stands to make top-of-the-market money.
In 2022, Tagovailoa led the league with a 105.5 passer rating but was still plagued by injuries and missed four games. He overcame that flaw in his game during the 2023 season, playing in all 17 games for the first time in his career and leading the league with 4,624 passing yards.
In the offseason that followed, Jared Goff signed an extension that averages out to $53 million per year and Trevor Lawrence inked a deal to make $55 million per year, tied atop all QBs with Joe Burrow.
Despite the prolonged wait and a possibly growing price tag, McDaniel only feels more encouraged by his bond with his man under center.
"I know where my place is in my relationship with him," McDaniel said. "I'm not involved in those things. My job is to focus on him getting better -- solely. ... I know as an organization we've prioritized it by entering into negotiations a long time ago, whenever that started. I think it speaks to how important is, both sides, they're relentlessly working on it. Great things take time. The one thing that's come [out of] this whole process is I'm very, very confident in my relationship with Tua and how he can separate the business entity from ... Ultimately he knows, any way you cut it, our focus has to be on what it looks like when he's playing football."
Tagovailoa participating at all differs from yet another signal-caller in line to be paid, Jordan Love, who is sitting out practices completely.
Perhaps given Miami's fluid approach, there will also be days Tagovailoa takes off.
What McDaniel communicated a certainty about, though, is that none of these proceedings will take away from the task at hand for a Miami team that won 11 games last season and is looking for more.
"We're all not robots," McDaniel said. "You have to consciously make sure you're worried about the right stuff. I think our team is. Our team is really excited about practicing against each other and making today matter and having something to build on for tomorrow. I have no concerns about distractions. Together, we make sure we do what we can to put our best foot forward really."
