AFC Notes: Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa said he hasn’t had any contract extension talks with Miami and isn’t worried about what the future may hold in that regard.

“I haven’t talked about any contract since what I’ve understood with my fifth-year extension,” Tagovailoa said, via PFT. “I don’t think that’s a worry of mine. When things come, they’ll come because you either deserved it or it’s supposed to happen that way.”

Tagovailoa seems content with proving to the team that he’s worth a second contract and is fine with waiting until that shows.

“I think regardless of what it is, if they wanted to do it now, if they wanted to wait, whatever,” Tagovailoa said. “I think for myself, I’m always a person that wants to prove to myself that I deserve whatever I get. So for me, I feel like this is something that I need to work for. It’s as plain and simple as that.”

Jets

• Jets QB Aaron Rodgers on restructuring his contract: “I feel great about what I’m making. It wasn’t really a negotiation … it was an easy conversation between me and Joe, talking about the state of the team and the opportunities that could be out there.” (Zack Rosenblatt)
• Rodgers on remaining with the Jets beyond this season: “This is going to be a few years partnership.” (Rosenblatt)
• Jets OT Mekhi Becton says he is willing to play right tackle and added that he underwent the “wrong surgery” in 2021 which kept him injured and not fully healed last season. (Brian Costello)

Patriots

The Patriots used two of their draft picks on a rookie punter and kicker in the 2023 draft — fourth-round K Chad Ryland and sixth-round P Bryce Baringer. Jamie Kohl, who trains multiple specialists in the NFL, stressed the importance of patience with rookie specialists.

“Rookie statistics are always a little lower than the NFL average when it comes to specialists, particularly with field goal percentage. Punting is not as noticeable — of course, with [Tennessee’s] Ryan Stonehouse breaking so many records [in 2022],” he said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “It’s not a talent thing. The biggest thing is understanding the stadiums. Understanding the wind flow in different environments. I know it sounds like that’s not as big of a deal, but when your job is to put a ball between 18 feet, six inches-wide [goal posts], you have to become an expert at understanding ball flight, trajectory, rotation, and then being able to feel the stadiums and what’s going on.”

The Patriots, amongst other teams, leaned on Kohl for his assessment of both Ryland and Baringer.

“The hard part about kicking, punting, snapping — similar to golf — it’s more of an ‘over-the-course-of-time’ position. The difference in performance can be dramatic one day to the next, especially at the high school level,” Kohl explained. “So one of the main questions the Patriots and other teams had on Bryce and Chad — because we worked with them so much in January, February, March and April this year — was, ‘Is what you saw similar to what they produced on their pro days and combine?’ That was where we had some value.”