Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire after suffering another concussion.
Tagovailoa suffered the concussion during Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, when he lowered his head on a scramble that caused a collision with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa stayed down for moments until the Dolphins medical staff arrived onto the field. While the 26 year-old quarterback was able to walk off the field, he sat out the rest of the game with a concussion which resulted in Skylar Thompson finishing the 31-10 defeat.
Following the game on Friday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that he had zero idea what Tagovailoa’s timeline would be and does not want to put any pressure on his return. With Tagovailoa expected to miss multiple games, the Dolphins may look at adding another quarterback to the roster as Skylar Thompson is the only healthy quarterback currently listed on the depth chart.
Following the game, many players, coaches, analysts, and fans were calling for Tagovialoa’s retirement. However, with Tagovailoa now confirming that his heart still lies towards returning to the football field, the discourses surrounding his future will be put to rest.
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions began in the 2022 season when he was slammed to the ground after a sack in week 4 of the campaign against the Cincinnati Bengals in which he was stretchered off the field. This caused him to miss two games before making his return in week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Tagovailoa suffered another concussion in the same year during a Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers in which he was not diagnosed with one until after the game. Following the game, Tagovailoa was out for the remainder of the season.
With Tagovailoa having not suffered a concussion during the 2023 season, many people thought that the concussions were behind him. However, what has happened over the last week has been one of the most unfortunate situations a player could endure.
