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Dolphins extend Tua Tagovailoa: Will the potential rewards outweigh the risk?
MIAMI -- For just the second time since Dan Marino retired, the Miami Dolphins have signed a quarterback to a multiyear extension.
Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million deal with the Dolphins that includes $167 million guaranteed, sources confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's the richest contract in franchise history, and the guaranteed money is the eighth most among NFL quarterbacks.
It also ends a two-day standoff between Tagovailoa and the team, in which he was a minimal participant in Miami's practices at training camp.
Tagovailoa joins Ryan Tannehill as the only quarterbacks to re-sign with Miami since Marino retired after the 1999 season. Tagovailoa, selected fifth overall by the Dolphins in 2020, is also the fourth quarterback from the 2020 class to sign an extension with the team that drafted him, joining Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.
"We're strong believers in him. And you guys all feel [coach Mike McDaniel's] passion about him when he talks about him," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in February. "Just in the two years of what he's done, he's grown in areas to where he led the league in passing and did some great things this year. And we all feel there's still another level he can take it.
"The way he's attacked this and wants to be great, and the combination of Mike and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there's still another level which he could go."
The Dolphins have publicly supported Tagovailoa over the past two years under McDaniel but offered their largest display of faith to date by giving the new deal.
Here's how both sides got to this point.
Why did the Dolphins make a commitment to Tagovailoa?
Tagovailoa was unremarkable during his first two NFL seasons, completing 66.7% of his passes for 4,467 yards and 22 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 2020 and 2021.
He has blossomed under McDaniel while completing 67.4% of his passes. The former Alabama player led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with a career-high 4,624, playing a full season for the first time in his career (more on that later).
His draft classmates got off to stronger starts to their careers, but Tagovailoa's first two years in Miami were marked by a lack of continuity. The Dolphins cycled through three offensive coordinators and two quarterbacks coaches in those first two seasons before hiring McDaniel in February 2022.
Since McDaniel's arrival, Tagovailoa has thrown for the fourth-most passing yards (8,172) and fifth-most touchdowns (54) in the NFL. Tagovailoa's 102.9 passer rating and 67.4% completion percentage also rank second and fifth in the league, respectively.
The Dolphins have started 25 different quarterbacks since Marino retired at the turn of the century, but Miami believes Tagovailoa is its franchise cornerstone and has rewarded him as such.
Is there any risk in the long-term deal?
Entering the 2023 season, there was considerable skepticism regarding Tagovailoa's ability to stay healthy for an entire season -- skepticism he met by changing his offseason preparation.
Tagovailoa bulked up to 225 pounds and trained in a jiu-jitsu break-fall course to learn how to keep his head from hitting the ground as it did on three notable occasions in 2022. It worked, and he finished the 2023 season without any major injuries.
But while Tagovailoa has thrived inside the structure McDaniel has built, he has struggled to create when plays broke down. He ranked third in quarterback rating when he attempted a pass in under 2.5 seconds (78.9). Beyond 2.5 seconds, he dropped to 16th (43.2).
His off-target throw percentage doubled on passes that took longer than 2.5 seconds to throw, from 11.2% to 22.1%. Considering his concussion history, teams don't fear him as a runner; he picked up five first downs on the ground in 2023, which ranked 41st among qualified quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa's accuracy and anticipation are his trademark strengths. His playmaking ability falls short of some of his peers, such as Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, but the Dolphins are banking on his strengths outweighing his weaknesses moving forward.
What took so long?
The negotiations left Tagovailoa feeling "antsy" as he watched the Detroit Lions sign quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million deal with $170 million guaranteed.
The feeling didn't subside after the Jacksonville Jaguars inked Trevor Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million extension with up to $200 million in guaranteed money.
Tagovailoa was absent for a portion of the team's offseason program before mandatory minicamp -- which he attended, in full -- and kept an eye on how quarterback deals were getting managed this offseason.
"I'm not blind to people that are in my position who are getting paid," he said. "Am I concerned about it? I'm not concerned about it, but there's a lot of discussion that we've had. We're just trying to move that thing in the right direction to where everyone can be happy."
The guaranteed money -- which ended up being $167 million -- in Tagovailoa's deal might have been a point of contention through the negotiating process, a front office source told ESPN in May. Tagovailoa's durability concerns were prevalent entering the 2023 season, but he played all 18 games for the Dolphins last season and seemingly debunked said concerns.
What does this mean for the Dolphins' Super Bowl window?
It's still open, but it's time to capitalize.
Miami now has premier offensive players signed for the foreseeable future in Tagovailoa, wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and running back De'Von Achane. The NFL's top-ranked offense last season also added veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as well as rookie wideouts Malik Washington and Tahj Washington.
With a couple of tweaks and some good health, Miami's offensive line is good enough to give its playmakers time to make an impact.
Defensively, the Dolphins have several young core players under team control, plus a star veteran in Jalen Ramsey. But the clock is ticking. Eventually, those budding stars will need contracts, and Tagovailoa's deal will ultimately hinder Miami's ability to bring everyone back on deals considered to be at market value.
The AFC features a gauntlet of talented quarterbacks Miami must get through to reach its first Super Bowl since 1984. It believes that, with Tagovailoa under center, it has enough to do exactly that.
Russell Westbrook's deal to join the Denver Nuggets will be a two-year, veteran minimum contract with a player option for 2025-2026, his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal is worth $6.8 million, a source told ESPN.
Westbrook, who was in Denver to sign the deal on Friday, is joining the Nuggets after he was traded by the LA Clippers to the Utah Jazz last week in a sign-and-trade deal for guard Kris Dunn. That trade, which included a second-round pick swap, was made to pave the way for the former MVP to sign with Denver once Utah waived Westbrook, which happened this past Saturday.
The Nuggets can use a veteran backup point guard who can provide energy, defend and be a spot starter after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson left in free agency.
Westbrook, who started the season as the starting point guard before moving to a sixth-man role after the Clippers traded for James Harden, joins forces with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Westbrook is the career leader in triple-doubles with 199, and Jokic ranks fourth with 130.
Westbrook averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 22.5 minutes per game last season.
The most interesting potential free agent target in the NBA might be a 61-year-old who retired nearly 25 years ago.
TNT Sports analyst Charles Barkley told The Athletic on Friday that he would listen to NBA partners ESPN/Disney, NBC and Amazon if the remainder of his current 10-year contract with the cable network is not honored. TNT Sports lost out on the NBA in the league's recently announced 11-year, $76 billion rights agreement.
"My deal is 10 years, $210 million," Barkley told The Athletic. "[TNT Sports] has to come to me ASAP and they have to guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening and I'll be [a] free agent.
"My thing was, 'Wait, y'all f---ed up, I didn't f--- up, why do I have to take a pay cut?'"
During the NBA Finals, with it a known possibility that TNT Sports might lose its media rights, Barkley said he would retire if he found himself out of a job. He still has seven years remaining on his deal. Barkley has been a part of TNT Sports' flagship "Inside the NBA" show since 2000 and is part of a primary four-man crew along with host Ernie Johnson and fellow former NBA players Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal.
Barkley said that retirement is still the likely option after TNT's upcoming final season broadcasting the NBA but that he would be "stupid" not to listen to offers from other networks.
"But from a compensation standpoint, I said, 'I will sit down and see what y'all are going to have going forward,'" Barkley told The Athletic. "I've been straight honest with all the companies."
Barkley's comments came on the same day that TNT Sports' parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, filed a lawsuit against the NBA for rejecting its matching bid for a share of the league's media rights.
Barkley said he was against the company suing the NBA.
"The NBA clearly wanted to break up with us. I don't want to be in a relationship where I have to sue somebody to be in it. That makes zero sense," Barkley told The Athletic. "If you have to sue somebody to stay in a relationship, do you think that is a healthy relationship?"
Warner Bros. Discovery previously said that it had matched Amazon's offer at $1.8 billion per year but that the league declined to accept.
"Clearly the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the beginning. I'm not sure TNT ever had a chance," Barkley said in a statement. "TNT matched the money, but the league knows Amazon and these tech companies are the only ones willing to pay for the rights when they double in the future. The NBA didn't want to piss them off. It's a sad day when owners and commissioners choose money over the fans. It just sucks."
The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated first baseman Yandy Diaz from the restricted list Friday afternoon.
It was not immediately known if Diaz will be in the lineup for the Rays' game against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Diaz missed the team's recent seven-game road trip due to a family matter. He will claim the open roster spot after Tampa Bay traded outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.
Regular third baseman Isaac Paredes has started at first base in place of Diaz. Paredes had two hits and four RBIs on Thursday at Toronto, snapping an 0-for-15 slump.
Diaz, who turns 33 on Aug. 8, is second on the Rays with a .273 average. He leads the team with 104 hits and has eight homers and 46 RBIs in 94 games.
He hit a club-record .330 last season to win the American League batting title.
Diaz is a career .288 hitter with 69 homers and 322 RBIs in 703 games with Cleveland (2017-18) and Tampa Bay.
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams appears on the verge of making his season debut after missing four months with stress fractures in his back.
"We're hoping for Devin here in the next few days, if things go well," Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Friday.
Williams has struck out six and walked two without allowing a hit in three scoreless innings during a rehabilitation assignment that has included one appearance with Single-A Wisconsin and two outings with Triple-A Nashville.
After going 8-3 with 36 saves and a 1.53 ERA last season to earn his second NL reliever of the year award, Williams hasn't pitched in the majors this year. The Brewers announced in mid-March that Williams' back issue would sideline him.
Trevor Megill has spent most of this season as the Brewers' closer in Williams' absence and has gone 0-2 with a 2.41 ERA and 20 saves.
Williams, the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year, owns a 26-10 career record with a 1.89 ERA, 54 saves and 337 strikeouts in 214 innings.
The Baltimore Orioles acquired right-hander Zach Eflin from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, addressing their clearest need with an in-division trade that bolsters their starting rotation.
Eflin was regarded as one of the best pitchers available before the July 30 deadline, and the Orioles - who at 61-41 are tied for the best record in the American League with Cleveland - turned to him with the sky-high prices for frontline left-handers Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet.
In return, the Rays received outfielder Matthew Etzel, superutilityman Mac Horvath and right-hander Jackson Baumeister.
Eflin, 30, has been a stalwart in the Rays' rotation since signing a three-year, $40 million free agent contract with the team before the 2023 season. With Eflin's salary set to jump to $18 million next year and multiple starting pitchers returning from injuries, the Rays made it clear to teams that he was available in a deal.
Baltimore, which has lost starters Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells to Tommy John surgery this season, jumped at the opportunity. Earlier Friday, the Orioles swung a depth-for-depth trade with Philadelphia, acquiring right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez and center fielder Cristian Pache for outfielder Austin Wells.
In 110 innings over 19 starts this season, Eflin has a 4.09 ERA. His walk rate of 1.06 per nine innings is the second-best among qualified major league starters behind Seattle's George Kirby. Eflin's strikeouts have dipped significantly this season, from 9.4 per nine innings to 7.1, and he spent 15 days on the injured list with back inflammation in May and June.
To get Eflin, they dipped into their deep farm system. Because of the size of Eflin's salary, the Orioles weren't motivated to send Tampa Bay their best prospects. As they did in the deal that sent Randy Arozarena to Seattle on Thursday, Tampa Bay received a bulk return.
Etzel, 22, is perhaps the best of the group. A 10th-round pick out of Southern Miss in 2023, he has played all three outfield positions and is hitting .289/.363/.445 between High-A and Double-A this season.
Horvath, 23, went to Baltimore in the second round of last year's draft after three seasons at North Carolina. He has played second base, third base, center field and right field at High-A this year and is hitting .233/.328/.417 with nine home runs and 26 stolen bases in 27 attempts.
Like Horvath, the 22-year-old Baumeister was a second-round pick in 2023 who can run his fastball into the mid-to-high 90s. Though he has struggled with control at High-A, Baumeister has struck out 91 in 70.2 innings pitched and sports a 3.06 ERA over 18 starts.
The Orioles could make more moves before the deadline, according to sources. They've discussed trading first baseman Ryan Mountcastle or center fielder Cedric Mullins, and would jump at the opportunity to acquire a frontline starting pitcher like Skubal, whom Detroit has indicated it is hesitant to deal, or Crochet, who plans to shut down at the end of the regular season after his first full year back from Tommy John surgery - unless he receives a contract extension.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine was cleared to return from the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program on Friday.
Laine entered the program on Jan. 28 after he experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken clavicle, an injury he sustained in a game on Dec. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said Thursday that the team would entertain all options in regard to Laine, who previously requested a trade out of Columbus. Since Laine last played, Waddell has taken over as GM and hired Dean Evason to coach the team.
"Patrik's made it clear that, even before all the changes this summer, he would like a fresh start someplace," Waddell told TSN 1050. "Now, I can't rule out any options, even returning here because it takes two teams to make a trade and if there's not a trade that makes any sense to us, then we have to just deal with what reality is.
"(Laine's agent) Andy Scott told him multiple times that we will make sure we look at everything and know the situation, and we know Patrik's feelings and (if) we can find the right fit, certainly we will do that. But, if not, we'll have to just deal with it."
Laine, 26, had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 18 games last season.
In 480 regular-season games with the Winnipeg Jets (2016-21) and Blue Jackets, Laine has recorded 388 points (204 goals, 184 assists) since being selected by the Jets with the second overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft.
King channels Warne as Rockets blast off at Headingley
Trent Rockets 123 for 5 (Sciver-Brunt 36*, Scrivens 32, Sutherland 3-14) beat Northern Superchargers 103 (Higham 26, Graham 3-13) by 20 runs
Trent Rockets began their Hundred campaign in fine style, defeating Northern Superchargers by 20 runs at Headingley thanks to a superb performance from their spin arsenal.
Bryony Smith made 23 from 21 before becoming Sutherland's second victim and Smith dismissed Gardner and Graham with consecutive deliveries to reduce the Rockets to 87 for 4.
They came up short with the bat, though, as the Rockets registered a commanding win.
"It was nice to have a bit of turn and grip in the wicket," King said. "We saw that the wicket did a lot in the first innings so we just had to keep our processes really simple. I love to have a pitch with a little bit of turn and I was happy to play my part.
"It felt really nice out of the hand," she said of the delivery which bowled Heath. "It's a leg-spinner's dream, so I'll take that first pill. I've loved having Ash [Gardner] and HG [Graham] join the Rockets this year. We played three Aussies today and we loved getting the win."
Ben Brown bosses Northants with superb unbeaten hundred
Hampshire 285 for 8 (Brown 139*, Organ 59, White 3-6) beat Northamptonshire 214 (Jack 4-29, Prest 3-41) by 71 runs
Wicketkeeper Brown had only scored one previous white-ball century - for Sussex in 2021 - in his first 99 games but picked up a career-best 139 not out.
Eddie Jack and Tom Prest both picked up their professional best figures of four for 29 and three for 41 as the Steelbacks only reached 214 to lose by 71 runs
Lewis McManus' decision to bowl first immediately paid dividends with an unplayable new-ball spell from Jack White. He nibbled the fresh white ball around to dump the hosts to 25 for three.
He had already made Fletcha Middleton play and miss three times before thumping into the opener's leg stump with his fifth ball.
Nick Gubbins returned a caught-and-bowled with a leading edge and Prest was pouched at second slip, with White ending his six-over spell with three for six.
But in sliding to take the Gubbins catch, White damaged his knee which saw him no return.
Without him, Brown rebuilt the innings in style. First in a 51-run stand with Toby Albert, but after Albert had skied to mid on and Joe Eckland had been caught at extra cover, more substantially with Organ.
Brown already stashed fifty in 62 balls but Organ's arrival heralded a freer flow that set the tone for the second half of the innings.
Brown doesn't have the stellarest of white-ball records but showed off the very best of his jabby shot-making square of the wicket.
His third century of the season came in exactly 100 balls with a controlled hook shot to the boundary which typified his timing.
Organ sailed to a 51-ball 59 in a flash to join Brown for 188 runs before he picked out deep midwicket - giving Zaib the third of his three for 60 - with Jack and Kyle Abbott hit sixes and fell at the death.
Brown ended up with 139 not out and Hampshire 285 - which had seemed improbable after White's early burst.
Prithvi Shaw and Emilio Gay got the Steelbacks off to a sensational start with 56 put on inside nine overs but their innings was full of good starts which weren't capitalised on.
Jack's introduction - with Mohammad Abbas forced off after just two overs - was the main catalyst. The teenager dragged Shaw into a drive straight to cover with his second ball, in an otherwise miserly spell.
Gay and Ricardo Vasconcelos put on 42 but a swipe off Brad Wheal saw the end of the former and slid Northamptonshire towards a hole.
Vasconcelos swept into the deep, Rob Keogh was lbw on the reverse and George Bartlett was caught behind as three wickets fell for 15 runs.
McManus gave Jack his second when he spun to deep square leg before Prest added his third when Saif Zaib missed his sweep to fall leg before and Michael Finan holed out on the leg side.
Gus Miller scrapped hard for 47, but with the run-rate surging above 10s he skied Jack straight up, before the England under-19 quick completed Hampshire's victory by clearing up White.
Athapaththu, Sanjeewani star as SL edge out Pakistan in last over-thriller to make the final
Sri Lanka 141 for 7 (Athapaththu 63, Sanjeewani 24*, Iqbal 4-16) beat Pakistan 140 for 4 (Muneeba 37, Feroza 25, Prabodhani 2-23, Dilhari 2-30) by three wickets
Sri Lanka will now again meet defending champions India in the title clash in Dambulla on Sunday.
In a pulsating semi-final, the momentum swung between both teams in both innings. Whenever Sri Lanka made inroads, Pakistan fought back, and vice-versa right till the end.
Sri Lanka lost two more wickets and with the equation down to three off three in the final over, Sanjeewani, bringing her years of international experience into play, stayed calm to take the team home with a ball to spare.
Muneeba, Feroza put up solid opening stand
Feroza, coming off two consecutive fifties, was off to a flying start, punishing the right-arm seamer Achini Kulasuriya for three fours in the third over. After a quiet over from left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari, Muneeba swept away two short deliveries off Athapaththu and then started Udeshika Prabodhani's second over with an elegant cover drive. The duo was smart with the batting and rotated the strike well to find quick runs.
Prabodhani, Dilhari's double-wicket overs and Sana's cameo
Sri Lanka had a nervy start with the ball, playing in front of a loud Dambulla crowd. But they pulled things back in the middle overs, conceding only 56 runs between overs 7-16 and picking up four wickets.
Coming back for her third over, Prabodhani, in her 100th T20I, removed Feroza when the opener miscued one to deep midwicket. Four balls later, the seamer cleaned up Muneeba, when she shuffled across too much to sweep and exposed her stumps.
Nida Dar then slammed a six and four to break the shackles but Sidra Amin, who was struggling at the other end, holed out to short third when she mistimed a reverse sweep in Kavisha Dilhari's second over. Three balls later, Dilahri trapped Dar in front.
Sri Lanka's fielding was disappointing as they dropped catches, missed run-out chances and had several misfields.
The mad chase: Athapaththu's fifty, Iqbal's four-for
Sri Lanka lost Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama early and ended their powerplay on 35 for 2. But with Dilhari, the Sri Lanka captain was able to steady the innings and the duo shared a 59-run stand for the third wicket. Athapaththu, after a sedate start, picked up the pace finding the boundaries at a steady rate.
With 63 needed from 52 balls, Pakistan stormed back into the game, thanks to Iqbal's double-wicket over that left Sri Lanka at 78 for 4.
But Sanjeewani and Athapaththu blunted Pakistan with a flurry of boundaries in the next three overs. En route, Athapaththu also notched up her 11th T20I half-century. That Pakistan were also sloppy in the field - Muneeba missed stumping Dilhari, and later failed to appeal for a stumping chance of Athapaththu - didn't help them either.
Just when it looked like Sri Lanka would have it easy, Pakistan fought back again through Iqbal. She dismissed Athapaththu in her final over to finish with figures of 4 for 16. In the following over, Hasini Perera was run out after a mix-up. Nashra Sandhu then conceded 13 of the penultimate over, where Kumari hit two fours to bring the equation down to three off six.
Dar brought herself on for the final over and dismissed Kumari off the second ball. With three required off three, Sanjeewani and Kulasuriya's singles took Sri Lanka over the line in a dramatic fashion.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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