TUA Tagovailoa is remaining sidelined for the Miami Dolphins’ Monday Night Football game.
Tua sustained a concussion in the second week of the NFL season, and will remain inactive while on injured reserve.
3
3
Tua played a full season in 2023, instilling a lot of confidence in him after his injury-riddled season in 2022.
He suffered the first two of his scary concussions that season and missed a considerable amount of time.
The Miami Dolphins quarterback bounced back and led the NFL in passing yards in 2023, but it didn’t last long this season.
The third concussion of his NFL career in Week 2 of this season caused the Dolphins to place him on injured reserve, holding him out until at least Week 6 of this season.
Tua will miss the Dolphins’ Monday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans this week, and he will be unavailable for their October 6 game against the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins have their bye week in Week 7, so the earliest Tua can return is Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Tua’s concussions have been severe, and while he has expressed a desire to continue playing, the Dolphins put him on IR to allow him time to make a decision about his career.
Many players and analysts have urged Tua to retire after the most recent concussion.
“The great thing about IR is there’s – for a month’s time, there’s no timelines,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told ESPN.
“I always say that, but I’m not sure that people quite understand; if you set a timeline based upon the information you have today, how much of whatever goes on is fulfilling the prophecy of that timeline?
“And is that the right thing? Especially with competitors and stuff, sometimes you can do more harm than good.
“Not worrying about anything as it relates to timelines is very empowering for him as a human being to recover from injury, and that’s steadfast the only motivating factor that you have when you’re dealing with players and their careers and their injuries.”
Tua has consulted with independent neurologists to make a decision about his future, but it is expected that he will return following his IR stint.
Fans have expressed their opinions about what Tua should do with his future on social media.
“I think Tua is retiring. Any proper doctor will tell him it’s in his best interest to hang it up,” one fan said.
“Man do us all and your family a favor and hang up the cleats. Life is short,” another fan said.
“The video footage of Tua Tagovailoa’s two most recent concussions were profound, and it really feels like he should walk away from the game before further damage is done,” a third fan said.
“I understand him wanting to come back and support any decision he makes, it’s his career not ours. But the sad reality is it wouldn’t be surprising if he came back and got hurt again in the same way,” a fourth fan said.
Tua signed a four-year, $212.1 million contract this offseason, with $167 million guaranteed.
If he were to be forced to retire, Tua would still earn his guaranteed money.
3
