Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has missed “the large majority of voluntary offseason work” since April 15, and those absences are believed to be “related to his contract status,” according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.

Tagovailoa, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract (worth $23.171 million), is hoping for a long-term deal with the franchise. That has not come to fruition yet, and now it’s unclear whether he’ll be with Miami on Monday when the Dolphins start team drills as part of their voluntary organized team activities.

The former Alabama star had notably been “present for most of the voluntary work” during his first four seasons with the team, per Jones.

Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, led the league in passer rating in 2022 and passing yards in 2023. He earned Pro Bowl honors last year and helped lead Miami to the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a fruitful 2023 season, completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 4,624 yards (8.3 yards per attempt) and 29 touchdowns (14 interceptions). Tagovailoa set career-high marks the year before with 8.9 Y/A and a 105.5 passer rating.

Tagovailoa’s reported drive for a long-term deal notably comes in the aftermath of Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff inking a four-year, $212 million contract ($170 million guaranteed). As Jones noted, “the going rate for today’s NFL franchise quarterbacks is around the $50 million per year mark.”

The Dolphins could, in theory, place the franchise tag on Tagovailoa in 2025. But that would come at a massive cap figure ($38.301 million was the number for quarterbacks in 2024), and it wouldn’t be an ideal situation for any party involved, especially with the signal-caller wanting long-term security.

So for now, Tagovailoa remains in limbo, although there’s still plenty of time for both sides to comfortably get something done before next season begins.