The Miami Dolphins are reportedly ‘exploring all their options’ and could move on from Tua Tagovailoa ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
Tagovailoa - the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft - enjoyed the best year of his career to date last season, leading the league in passer rating (105.5) to become the first Dolphins quarterback to do so since the legendary Dan Marino back in 1984. However, the 25-year-old was limited to just 13 games as he struggled with concussions while the Dolphins finished with a 9-8 record before crashing out in the first round of the playoffs.
The former Alabama quarterback is under contract for the 2023 season at a rate of $9.6million but Miami must decide on whether they will trigger his fifth-year option for 2024 by May 1. This is usually followed by a long-term contract, but - given Tagovailoa’s injury history - the Dolphins could search for different opportunities.
As reported by CBS Sports, the Dolphins are assessing all their options to address the quarterback position. Tagovailoa is set to make $23.2m in 2024 if the franchise triggers his fifth-year option, but
“Even though the reports were coming out at the end of the season that the experts expect Tua to be 100% when football comes... there are members in the Dolphins organisation who are aware the team is exploring all of their options at quarterback - including potentially moving in a different direction from Tua,” CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson said.
“That is part of the due diligence that general managers should do when considering the concussion and head injury history with Tua. The feeling is that with each successive concussion, the risk gets higher to impact a quarterback’s football future in this league and you have to cover for that.
“Tua had his best career year and showed a lot of improvement, but the reality is there were multiple instances of concussions. It took him 38 days to clear protocol so we’re talking about due diligence that makes sense per the job that the front office has to do in that building.”
Many NFL fans and figures are concerned for his health going forwards, with some even calling for him to retire after he suffered his third head injury of the season. Back in September, Tagovailoa was hospitalised due to a second head injury in successive games, suffering a concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals just days after taking a scary hit against the Buffalo Bills.
As he laid on the pitch against the Bengals, Tagovailoa’s fingers displayed the ‘fencing response’ which traditionally signifies a serious neurological issue. Shortly afterwards, the NFL and NFLPA announced they would review the concussion protocol with a new rule implemented.
The consultant who cleared Tagovailoa following a check against the Bills was also fired, while Dr Bennet Omalu - the first doctor to discover and publish findings on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American Football players - urged Tagovailoa to retire immediately. Tagovailoa entered the concussion protocol once more after falling 26-20 to the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day as he appeared to bounce his head off the turf in the second half, subsequently throwing three interceptions in the loss.
