Ryan Tannehill has undoubtedly had the best off-season. The 26 year old Miami Dolphin quarterback agreed to terms with the team to extend his contract for four years after his current contract ends in two years. This gives Tannehill a home with the Dolphins through the 2020 season.
Some people question whether this extension, reportedly topping $77 million dollars, was worth it for a young quarterback who has three seasons under center so far without any playoff appearances.
Tannehill was the third quarterback taken, 8th pick overall, in the 2012 draft and Tannehill is the first of that class to receive a contract extension in class that includes:
Andrew Luck – #1 Pick to the Indianapolis Colts
Robert Griffin III – #2 Pick to the Washington Redskins
Brandon Weeden – #22 Pick to the Cleveland Browns
Brock Osweiler – #57 Pick to the Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson – #75 Pick to the Seattle Seahawks
It’s clear that we will see Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson receive a considerably larger extension based on their success and performance, but was Tannehill worth such a large extension without seeing as much success?
The Dolphins certainly think so. They haven’t reached the playoffs since 2008, but they have a lot of faith in their quarterback. Despite limited success as a team, Tannehill has shown signs of improvement each of his three years as a QB so far.
Last season was a particularly good season for Tannehill. He reached a career high of 66.4% season completion percentage, a career high of 4,045 total passing yards, a career high of 27 touchdown passes and his highest passer rating yet of 92.8.
Regardless of the teams lack of success, those numbers and Ryan Tannehill’s steady improvement and development has shown the Miami Dolphins all they need to see and they have rewarded him considerably for his efforts.
Good luck to Ryan and the Dolphins this season. We’ll see if their investment pays off.
