NFL Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins Would be Wise to Lock Up Ryan Tannehill

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By @chriswgamble

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Getty Images

The Miami Dolphins have seemingly been looking for a franchise quarterback for centuries. The reality is it has just been since Dan Marino retired though going through 16 different starting quarterbacks in that time can make it seem much longer. There are rumors, however, that the Dolphins are flirting with the idea of making Ryan Tannehill their franchise quarterback by signing him to a seven-year contract worth $105 million. That is a lot of money to throw at a quarterback who has had a nice start to his career but hasn’t exactly shown he can be the man to take the Dolphins to the next level.

Depending on what time of day it is you will either hear that negotiations are in the works, are about to be entered or are not even on the to-do list for this offseason. Usually though where there is smoke there is fire. It is almost guaranteed the team has had discussions about whether Tannehill can be that guy in Miami.

Tannehill is the best quarterback the Dolphins have had since Marino as far as consistency goes. He is coming off of his best season in the NFL that saw him throw for 4,045 yards and 27 touchdowns and complete 66.4 percent of his passes. He has gotten better every year since being taken eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also started every single game since Week 1 of 2012.

If Tannehill were to hit the open market it is more than likely he would command well over $100 million. A team like the New York Jets, for example, would throw cash at Tannehill and smile themselves to sleep at night. All one has to do is look at the two-year, $10 million contract that Josh McCown signed last year based on only eight games and five starts.

Previously, $100 million contracts were reserved for the best of the best at the position. That isn’t the case anymore. Ask the Jets or Cleveland Browns if they would desire a quarterback like Tannehill. Ask the Buffalo Bills. Ask any number of teams. I bet they all would break out the checkbooks.

The Dolphins don’t need to rush. They hold an option on Tannehill for the 2016 season so they have until then to decide. If Tannehill continues to get better as he has each year he will make it an easy choice for management. It should already be an easy decision. Quarterbacks like Tannehill are hard to find these days. Dolphins know how hard it is to replace a franchise quarterback. One wrong decision could set a team back for years. All one has to do is look at the Oakland Raiders, Browns, Jets, and several other teams who have seen less than stellar play from under center for years.

In today’s market, Tannehill is worth the contract extension. The Dolphins don’t need to hurry but getting Tannehill signed would allow the team to lay out the rest of the groundwork for the next few years. The Dolphins took a gamble on Tannehill in 2012. Most draft experts were surprised he went that high. All Tannehill has done is get better every year and be the best quarterback to wear a Dolphins’ jersey since Marino.

After dealing with guys like Jay Fiedler, Matt Moore, Chad Henne, A.J. Feeley, Cleo Lemon, Joey Harrington, Chad Pennington, Gus Frerotte, Brian Griese, Sage Rosenfels, Tyler Thigpen, Ray Lucas, Duante Culpepper, Trent Green, John Beck and Damon Huard since 1999 I think signing Tannehill to a long-term contract is worth its weight in gold and the Dolphins should too.

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