The Miami Dolphins have signed Ryan Tannehill to a contract extension this offseason after picking up his fifth year option and heading into training camp the quarterback is locked up long term and the team is looking for him to have a big year with Jarvis Landry, Greg Jennings and Kenny Stills in the offense.
The Dolphins wanted to sign Tannehill to an extension this offseason and now he is the first of the major 2012 players like Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson to sign a new deal. Robert Griffin had his fifth year option picked up just like Tannehill, but the Redskins have not pushed for a long term deal. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN.com, Tannehill signed a six year contract worth $96 million with $45 million guaranteed.
The signing bonus for the contract gives Tannehill over $21 million guaranteed and there are other guarantees through the contract, including in 2017 and 2018. The contract is considered to be a "pay as you go" deal, according to Pro Football Talk. The way it is structured allows the Dolphins to look at things if they want, as the guaranteed money doesn't kick in until March of each year. Tannehill has been very solid for the Dolphins since being drafted and the team has high expectations for him this year.
The Dolphins picked up the fifth year option on Tannehill earlier in the offseason, but the plan all along was to sign him to a long term contract. Tannehill had his best season as a pro in 2014, setting career highs in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. Tannehill completed 66 percent of his passes under offensive coordinator Bill Lazor last season and he is getting a number of new weapons on offense heading into 2015.
The Dolphins traded away Mike Wallace this offseason, but they added Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker, Jordan Cameron and Jay Ajayi between free agency, trades and the draft for Tannehill. The offense will look very different but it could be much better this year even with Tannehill putting up good stats last season. Landry had a strong rookie season and now Parker gets the chance to do that, while Stills comes in with great potential as well.
Lamar Miller and Ajayi should give the team a better rushing attack and that could be very big for Tannehill as he continues his development. Ajayi had over 2000 combined yards last season and he can be a threat out of the backfield like Knowshon Moreno was supposed to be before he was injured. The team is expecting a big year from Miller and he comes in as the feature back.
Tannehill is now one of the top paid quarterbacks in the league based on the "new money", according to Pro Football Talk. Tannehill will not have $77 million over four years and that average salary puts him in line with players like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Whether Tannehill deserves that or not is another debate, but he did have a great season in 2014. Tannehill is the first of the 2012 quarterbacks to sign a major extension and now Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson could be next in line after Tannehill got his deal.
