Grier: ‘Door is shut’ on Watson trade, Dolphins all-in on Tua. Team inquired about Payton

Four months after publicly defending the Dolphins’ pursuit of Deshaun Watson, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier officially closed the door on the embattled quarterback.

Grier told local reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday that the “door is shut” on a trade for the Houston Texans quarterback who didn’t play in 2021 in the wake of 22 civil suits alleging sexual misconduct and 10 criminal complaints.

“At the end of the day, [Dolphins coach] Mike [McDaniel] and the staff have come to do a lot of work and studied a lot of Tua [Tagovailoa], and they feel good about his developmental upside, what he can be and then the fit in the offense. I think we’re good with Tua.”

The Dolphins were linked to Watson after he initially sought a trade from Houston in January 2021. However, Watson’s unresolved legal issues and the Texans’ steep asking price of multiple first-round picks and additional assets proved to be insurmountable. The Dolphins now enter a pivotal third season with Tagovailoa, who will be learning a new offense under McDaniel.

“I will say Mike and the offensive staff watched every game, every throw and put together this tape of the roster, and it was pretty cool,” Grier said. “Mike’s vision for how Tua fits into this scheme and what he can do, they’re all very excited about it. So, I think at the end of the day, probably Tua’s going to have to come in and work with him and do it on the field, but right now, there’s a very good comfort level with how they feel he fits into what Mike wants to do with our offense.”

Tagovailoa, who turned 24 on Wednesday, completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 2,6523 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2021. The Dolphins are 13-8 with Tagovailoa as their starter.

Asked if Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, can become an elite quarterback, Grier said it was too early to say.

“I can’t say he can’t be,” Grier said. “It’s a situation now where this will be built around his skill set and what the offense can be and Mike’s vision of how he fits. So, I wouldn’t say he can’t be. It’s too early. He’s played 20 games, maybe. The first year was in and out and missing games this year, but I know he’s won games even this last year, and it’s hard to win games in this league. I know people want to say he doesn’t throw the ball downfield, but he’s incredibly accurate, and that’s the real exciting part for Mike and the coaching staff, his accuracy.”

Dolphins reached out about Payton

The Dolphins reached out to the New Orleans Saints about Sean Payton after he stepped down as head coach in January, Grier said.

“So when Sean decided to step away from football, we just had a conversation, like, I’ll call and just see,” Grier said. “We took our time, we weren’t in a rush to do anything. We’re going to make sure whatever we did, we’re going take our time and get the right guy for us. At the end of the day, I reached out to New Orleans a couple of days after just to see, ‘Is he done with football or does he want to coach?’ I don’t know what’s going on over there. And they just told us no, they weren’t going to grant permission. So that was it. We’ve always been, since I’ve been here, aggressive looking at options and he’s one of the best coaches in football and we were still in the middle of our interviewing process. We stopped to see if he would have interest at all. So, I don’t even know if he would have interest.”

Grier’s statement came days after a Pro Football Talk report that the Dolphins planned to pursue Payton and Tom Brady, who announced his retirement in February. Grier said he never had a conversation with Brady.

After firing Brian Flores, the team had a month-long search for its next coach, which culminated in the hiring of Mike McDaniel from the San Francisco 49ers.

“He’s just got this way and this personality of dealing with people,” Grier said. “And so as we got to know him and be around him, it was really interesting. He told us from Day One of the interview that this was his dream opportunity and he had been waiting for someone to acknowledge him for all the hard work he’s done. ...

“He made no bones about that he wanted the job, he thought it was a great fit for him. And so as we got to know him more, we got more excited as we spent more time with him.”

News and Notes

▪ Grier said the team will likely pick up defensive linemen Christian Wilkins’ fifth-year option, which would keep with the team through the 2023 season.

“He had a heck of a year here last year. I would say most likely. But we’ll make that decision,” Grier said.

▪ Asked about his reaction to Flores’ lawsuit, Grier declined to comment and said he couldn’t speak on an ongoing investigation.