Miami Dolphins Extend QB Ryan Tannehill’s Contract Through 2020

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill will play with the Miami Dolphins until 2020 after the team extended his contract.

An ESPN report noted that the deal was worth $96 million inclusive of $45 million in guaranteed money.

The quarterback was reportedly under a contract with the team until 2016. The reason for the contract extension could be Tannehill's impressive performance last year—completing 66.4 percent of his passes for 4,045 yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and obtaining a 92.8 passer rating.

"We are thrilled that we were able to sign Ryan to an extension. He is an ascending talent, a team leader and checks all of the boxes you are looking for at the position," Dolphins Vice President Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement.

The team reportedly commends the quarterback for his skills on the field, especially in terms of passer rating, completion percentage and yards.

"Signing Ryan to this deal is important to our franchise. He is a proven quarterback in this league that combines a talented skill set with work ethic, passion, toughness and a team-first mentality," said Dolphins General Manager Dennis Hickey.

Hickey added that the team believes Tannehill is someone who will stay for a long time in Miami.

A similar CBS Sports report said that they expect Tannehill to further improve in the coming seasons.

"He's improved in each of his three NFL seasons, and in 2014 he set career bests in completion percentage (66.4), yards (4,045), yards per attempt (6.9), touchdowns (27), interceptions (12) and passer rating (92.8)," noted CBS Sports.

Tannehill reportedly ranked 12 among all quarterbacks in the league, following Andrew Luck and Eli Manning and passing Russell Wilson, Alex Smith and Matthew Stafford.

However, writer Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel expressed his growing concern over the long-term deal, noting that the quarterback has yet to prove himself.

"Tannehill still hasn't got the Dolphins to the playoffs.To me, a 'franchise quarterback' is a guy who can get his team to the playoffs, say, three times in a five-year stretch. And have them contending for a Super Bowl in one of those years," Perkins added in his analysis.

He agreed with the idea that Tannehill may be improving, but added that the player's record would only make it to being a "good quarterback."

"He needs to be one of those quarterbacks who stretches his resources beyond their known limits. He hasn't showed such an inclination so far," the writer added.

It seems like the quarterback has a lot to prove not only to those people criticizng him but also to his team. At least, he now has until 2020 to do that.