On Friday, the Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with $167 million guaranteed. The deal is the largest in franchise history.
The new contract will pay Tagovailoa an average annual salary just over $53 million per year. That number is significant because it’s more than the career earnings of Dolphins legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Dan Marino.
Hall-of-Fame QB Dan Marino’s career earnings with the Dolphins, per @Jason_OTC, were $51 million. Tua Tagovailoa’s average annual salary on his four-year extension with the Dolphins is $53.1 million. https://t.co/WIQoBPKxiP
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2024
Marino is arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and the only reason that’s up for debate is because he failed to win a Super Bowl. He was named league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1984 and led the NFL in passing five times. The number of all-time records and franchise records are too abundant to recount.
In total, Marino won 147 regular season games for the Dolphins, while passing for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns. Those remain franchise records by a country mile (and then some).
Comparatively, Tagovailoa is fourth on the franchise list for passing yards (12,639) and passing touchdowns (81), but he’s got a long way to go to catch Marino.
The salary discrepancies highlight both the popularity and financial value of the NFL and its individual franchises. Marino played during a time when baseball was still considered the national pastime, but things have certainly changed.
As of 2023, the Dolphins were valued at $5.7 billion while the NFL was listed with an aggregate value of $163 billion, which is more than many countries.
