Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is one of several players across the league this offseason who is in active contract extension talks as mandatory minicamp begins.
When speaking with reporters on Tuesday in Miami Gardens, Tagovailoa was asked about the state of extension talks, and whether or not Jared Goff’s $53 million-per-year contract earlier this offseason set a benchmark in his negotiations with the team.
“I’ll tell you one thing. The market is the market,” Tagovailoa said. “If we didn’t have a market, none of that would matter. It would just be an organizational thing. It didn’t matter if that guy got paid that, because it’s up to the organization. That’s what I would say. The market is the market. That’s it”
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa said there’s been a lot of progress on his contract negotiations with the team — he’s confident that a deal will get done before the season.
It’s clear Tagovailoa is seeking a contract to be paid like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL after playing in all 17 games in 2023 and posting career numbers.
Tagovailoa completed 69.3% of his passes for 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns, which were all career-highs. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent following this season if an extension is not reached with the Dolphins as anticipated. Until further notice, he’s playing out 2024 on a $23.1 million base summary as part of a club option that was exercised by the Dolphins on his rookie contract.
Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has been accused in a lawsuit of sending sexually explicit content to the then-underage son of an ex-girlfriend, according to a court filing obtained Thursday night by Grethel Aguila of the Miami Herald.
Per the filing, Howard sent the content to the son "because (his mother) refused to get an abortion." The attorneys for a separate woman who sued Howard in 2023—alleging he shared explicit videos of her without her consent—are attempting to have the 18-year-old added to that lawsuit as a plaintiff.
Howard, 30, was cut by the Dolphins on March 13.
"Xavien Howard operates by intimidation and force. Where he goes, destruction follows, and the lives of two individuals have been irrevocably altered because of him," attorneys Adriana Alcalde and Cam Justice wrote in the filing.
Through his attorney, Ted Craig, Howard denied the claims.
Howard has been selected to four Pro Bowls in eight seasons in the NFL. He has twice (2018 and 2020) led the league in interceptions.
The entire AFC is chasing the Kansas City Chiefs. Last week, some teams closed the gap during the 2024 NFL draft. Others saw it only grow wider.
But which teams did the best? Which added the most potential while also finding immediate starters? And, conversely, who failed to find enough help, making them vulnerable?
We analyzed and ranked all 16 of the AFC draft classes, going from least-inspiring to most.
16. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee did a nice job picking up OT JC Latham in the first round to bolster its offensive line, but the rest of the draft was underwhelming. The Titans gambled big on DT T’Vondre Sweat despite his off-field concerns, and then selected three linebackers as the rounds clicked off. Not enough upside.
15. Buffalo Bills
The Bills traded back twice in the first round before ultimately selecting WR Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round. Buffalo then decided to pass on a litany of other talented wideouts, instead loading up on the offensive line with four picks. The Day 2 choices of S Cole Bishop and DT DeWayne Carter were their best.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
With a big need at cornerback, the Jaguars chose to select Thomas with their first pick.
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Jacksonville had the opportunity to draft any corner in the draft, but traded back to hoard picks. Fair enough. However, the Jaguars then took WR Brian Thomas Jr. instead of addressing a major need. Afterwards, Jacksonville took a kicker and a reserve running back, passing on more high-upside talent. Not awful, but not great.
13. Cleveland Browns
The Browns were once again without their first-round pick as a result of the disastrous Deshaun Watson deal, which gets hilariously worse by the year. Cleveland’s first pick came Friday, when it took a high-upside defensive end in Michael Hall Jr. despite his lack of statistics at Ohio State. Down the board, the Browns finished the draft with three defensive players, hoping to find depth.
12. Denver Broncos
If Bo Nix turns out to be a quality quarterback, my team grade is going to look silly. If he’s not, the Broncos are going to be spinning their wheels for the next few years. The Broncos were also without a second-round pick before taking edge rusher Jonah Elliss and receiver Troy Franklin in the middle rounds. Not a bad haul, but everything hinges on the 24-year-old quarterback.
11. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins decided to go for an edge rusher in the first round, selecting Penn State’s Chop Robinson to bolster depth after injuries to Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips. In the second round, general manager Chris Grier took Miami’s future left tackle in Patrick Paul, a three-year starter at Houston. On Day 3, the Dolphins took another running back in Jaylen Wright. An intriguing class.
10. Houston Texans
The Texans didn’t have a first-round pick after trading back with the Minnesota Vikings, but they still had a nice haul. Houston got a pair of defensive backs on Day 2 with CB Kamari Lassiter and S Calen Bullock, before getting great value in Ohio State TE Cade Stover. Ultimately, Houston added a few potential starters plus depth.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati loaded up in the trenches, while also taking a pair of boom-or-bust SEC prospects. The Bengals used three of their first four picks on offensive and defensive linemen, including Georgia’s Amarius Mims in the first round. Mims is incredibly talented, but only started eight games for the Bulldogs. In the third round, Cincinnati gambled on WR Jermaine Burton, who has great film but character-driven red flags.
8. New York Jets
Protecting Aaron Rodgers was the top priority for the Jets, who picked Fashanu in the first round.
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The Jets started strong by taking OT Olu Fashanu to lock down the left side for years to come. However, after not having a pick in the second round due to the Aaron Rodgers trade, New York took a pair of running backs. The Jets also took WR Malachi Corley, a 215-pounder who can create yards after the catch. It was an offensively driven class with upside.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs hit on their two biggest needs in the first two rounds, trading up for WR Xavier Worthy and OT Kingsley Suamataia. On Day 3, Kansas City found quality value in S Jaden Hicks and CB Kamal Hadden, upgrading an already strong secondary despite the loss of L’Jarius Sneed in a trade with the Titans.
6. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore made an already strong roster even better, utilizing all three days of the draft. After getting good value at No. 30 with CB Nate Wiggins, the Ravens continued to take ready-made contributors in edge rusher Adisa Isaac, OT Roger Rosengarten and WR Devontez Walker, along with an intriguing talent in CB TJ Tampa.
5. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts understood their assignment going into the draft. They had to make second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson comfortable, and that appears to have been achieved. GM Chris Ballard landed receivers Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould along with a pair of mid-round offensive linemen. Indianapolis also added to its pass rush with edge Laiatu Latu, a potential star off the edge.
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots drafted a pair of receivers after selecting Maye with the third pick in the first round.
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New England did exactly what it needed to in the draft. The Patriots resisted the temptation to trade back and took Drake Maye as their next franchise quarterback. Then they spent the rest of the draft surrounding him with an improved offense ranging from receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, to a pair of offensive linemen in Caeden Wallace and Layden Robinson.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were patient, and that paid off. Instead of trading up into the top 10 for a quarterback, veteran GM Tom Telesco stayed at No. 13 and tabbed TE Brock Bowers. On the second day, Telesco upgraded the offensive front with G Jackson Powers-Johnson and OT Delmar Glaze out of Maryland. The Raiders still need a quarterback, but when they find him, he’ll be in a better spot.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers needed to find talent across the board in this class after losing receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, among others. To that end, Los Angeles nabbed Notre Dame OT Joe Alt at No. 5 before trading up for WR Ladd McConkey in the second round. On Day 3, the choices of CB Cam Hart and WR Brenden Rice represent great value.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Fautanu will likely start at tackle for the Steelers.
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Nobody in either conference had a better draft than GM Omar Khan and the Steelers. Pittsburgh found a litany of offensive linemen who could start soon between OT Troy Fautanu, C Zach Frazier and G Mason McCormick. Then there’s the third-round choices of WR Roman Wilson and LB Payton Wilson, both excellent values. Home run stuff from Pittsburgh.
Inter Miami FC will soon unveil Miami Dolphins-inspired kits this summer. The news was confirmed by the Miami Herald after a few weeks of rumors about the emergence of a third uniform option.
A rumored look at the aqua-themed kits has emerged online, featuring a not-to-scale image of Tua Tagovailoa towering over Lionel Messi. Reasonable minds can disagree but they look pretty slick.
Inter Miami has predictably ascended on the world stage as they brought in Messi last year and further leveraging the local market with tried-and-true threads is a really smart idea. Finding another way to move team merchandise could help the club continue its impressive marketplace surger.
Per the Herald:
Lionel Messi’s No. 10 pink Inter Miami shirt became the most-sold jersey of 2023 within 45 minutes of his jersey launch on MLSStore.com, the league’s retail site, last summer, and became the most sold jersey in the history of MLSStore.com within three days. Inter Miami also set an MLSStore.com all-time unit and revenue record last season, despite being near the bottom of the standings most of the year.
