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Dolphins pick up QB Tua Tagovailoa's fifth-year option

Tagovailoa will make $23.2M in 2024. Does this end Lamar Jackson talk in Miami?

Tua Tagovailoa will be under contract with the Miami Dolphins through the 2024 season. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

The Miami Dolphins officially picked up Tua Tagovailoa's fifth-year option, the team announced Monday. The report initially broke on Mar. 10 from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The starting quarterback will now make a guaranteed $23.2 million in 2024.

Miami was a rumored destination for Lamar Jackson if the Baltimore Ravens didn't match any offer sheet for the quarterback during free agency. Jackson can negotiate with other teams after he was given the non-exclusive franchise tag on Mar. 7.

ESPN's Jeff Darlington reported earlier this month that a source told him the Dolphins wouldn't want Jackson or any other quarterback because "[head coach] Mike [McDaniel] fully believes Tua is the perfect fit for his system.”

Tagovailoa and the Dolphins endured almost incessant scrutiny over whether Tagovailoa would be their long-term starter. Miami already lost its 2023 first-round draft pick after the NFL determined team owner Stephen Ross engaged in tampering with his attempt to get Tom Brady as the team's starting quarterback during the 2021 season.

Questions around Tagovailoa's durability and viability as the starter continued throughout the 2022 season after he sustained two concussions that forced him to miss multiple games during two different stretches, including the playoff match with the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa eventually cleared the league's concussion protocol on Feb. 1, 38 days after his second head injury.

But when Tagovailoa played, he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL. He led the NFL in yards per attempt and yards per completion and ranked third in expected points added per play among qualified passers. Tagovailoa finished with 25 total passing touchdowns and averaged 272.9 passing yards per game, which ranked eighth and fifth, respectively. He also went 8-3 as a starter.