Multiple members of the NFL community suggested earlier this fall that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should retire following his latest concussion that sidelined him for four games.
During a conversation with Jeff Darlington of ESPN that aired before the start of Monday night’s contest between the Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams that Miami won to improve to 3-6 on the season, Tagovailoa explained why he didn’t consider calling time on his career.
“It never stuck in my mind that I was ever thinking of retiring,” Tagovailoa said, as shared by Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. “Whether the doctors told me that or not, it would have just been information for me.”
Tagovailoa admitted in April 2023 that he and his family discussed the idea of retiring after he suffered a minimum of two reported concussions during the 2022 campaign. He then started every game for Miami last season and played well enough to land a four-year, $212.4M contract.
Tagovailoa’s most recent head injury occurred on Sept. 12. He returned to the lineup for what became a 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27.
“Honestly, they would just ask me how I felt about everything,” Tagovailoa told ESPN about conversations he had with doctors during his recovery. “And from there, it was just testing, testing and continued questions. …If they were to tell me that I couldn’t play, I would have definitely taken that into consideration, but there were no talks like that.”
Tagovailoa went viral during Monday’s victory when he lowered his head to make a tackle following an interception. He later laughed that moment off during his postgame comments.
“I can tell you what I don’t want to be known for is the poster boy for concussions,” Tagovailoa told ESPN before Monday’s win. “That’s for sure.”
The only way he’ll get his wish is if he avoids missing additional time because of a concussion for years to come. If nothing else, Monday’s game offered yet another reminder that fans and analysts will fear the worst whenever Tagovailoa gets rocked by any type of blow on the field.
The Dolphins next host the 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Miami as a 7.5-point favorite for that matchup.
