Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has “no plans to retire,” NFL Network reported Sunday, despite suffering the third concussion of his NFL career — and fourth in five years — during Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Tagovailoa’s doctors will be “driving the process” on his health, as he’s set to see a neurologist this week and is likely to miss multiple games, per the report.
[Related: At what point should Tua consider walking away?]
Tagovailoa, 26, left Thursday’s matchup after taking a big hit to the head, sparking an overwhelming amount of support online for the QB’s health and igniting conversation surrounding whether he should retire. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce publicly opined that Tagovailoa should indeed hang up his cleats for the sake of his long-term well-being.
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Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has emphasized the importance of not offering his opinion.
“I think it would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject, McDaniel said. “His career is his. … I totally understand it, and it’s not misplaced. I totally get how that’s where people want to go to. I just wish that people would — for a second — hear what I’m saying, that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him, so I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care.
“If he agreed with it … disagreed with it, either way, I’ve just made him worse. So I’m not taking this opportunity. I don’t think it’s appropriate simply because of my care and regard, and I don’t think those types of conversations when you’re talking about somebody’s career — it probably is only fair that their career should be decided by them.”
Should Tua Tagovailoa retire? The ‘FOX NFL Sunday’ crew weighs in
Tagovailoa’s other two concussions occurred during the 2022 season, with one of those injuries resulting in him being carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital.
Miami is expected to stick with backup QB Skylar Thompson, while potentially adding another signal-caller for depth.
Prior to the injury, Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in Week 2, and the Dolphins went on to lose to the Bills by double digits, 31-10. Last season, he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, earning his first career Pro Bowl nod.
As for other health matters, Tagovailoa played through an ankle sprain in his final collegiate season at Alabama and suffered both a dislocated hip and a concussion in that same season (2019).
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension with $167.1 million guaranteed in July.
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