Since the NFL changed the payment structure on rookie contracts, holdouts for draft selections have been very rare. So it was no surprise that Tua signed his contract so quickly. The 4-year contract is worth $30.28 million with $19.6 million guaranteed, which also includes a 5th-year option.
Tua’s new contract ranks him as the 25th highest average paid QB in the NFL with an average of $7.55 million per year. If he can produce anywhere near what he did with Alabama then the Dolphins have quite a bargain.
The yearly breakdown of his contract is as follows:
$5.5 million Year 1
$6.88 million Year 2
$8.25 million Year 3
$9.63 million Year 4
The Tua craze is in full gear and he already has the most popular selling jersey in the NFL! But what is even crazier is he’s the #1 and #2 top-selling jersey with aqua being the first and the white being the second. Phins fans are going nuts over their new quarterback for sure.
BTW: Tom Brady’s red Tampa Bay Bucs jersey comes in at #3.
You can bet with the best pay per head software like www.AcePerHead.com that this is great news for Owner Stephen Ross from a business standpoint. It appears that Miami finally has a true face for his franchise. Sure Tua will have to obviously play up to his potential and stay healthy, but clearly, NFL fans–not just Miami fans–are excited to see him play. When has a Phins ranked #1 and #2 in NFL jersey sales?
While none of this will count toward winning a game, it does add to the signs that a brighter era might be on the horizon.
Tua chose have #1 on his jersey, which will be a first in Phins’ history…
… well, he wasn’t going to get to pick his college number of #13. Tua said publically it didn’t matter about what number he wore and was well aware that Dan Marino’s number is retired… and absolutely should stay retired.
So with the contract and jersey number settled, now it’s time to focus on July when the NFL will start their offseason preparations for the upcoming season.
But obviously the ongoing pandemic will determine if this ends up the case.
Because of the pandemic, even if the team starts football activities in July, Tua won’t have the luxury that typical rookies have during a normal year of getting into the building in May. So that’s another reason why giving him a true redshirt rookie season will be the best option. As the quarterback, Tua must understand the playbook better than any other position on the team. With this slow start, getting up to speed will take even more time. This makes giving Tua a full year of studying behind Fitzpatrick, learning the playbook, and continuing to recover from his hip injury even wiser.
Turning around this franchise will demand quality quarterback play for more than a season. So despite the Tua craze, his signing is about finding a long term QB solution for the Phins, not getting him to play in the 2020 Season!
What are Phins fans’ thoughts on Tua’s contract and immediate NFL popularity?
