Photo: Getty Images
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reportedly has no plans to retire and already consulted specialists on the next steps to take after suffering his third documented concussion in two years, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport Sunday (September 15) morning.
"From @NFLGameDay: #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire, sources say. He’s already begun seeing concussion specialists and will continue to do so, but there is no timeline to return. Tua will be back when he and his doctors deem him healthy and ready," Rapoport wrote on his X account, along with a clip of himself appearing on NFL GameDay discussing Tagovailoa's injury status.
Several former NFL players, including Prime Video Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa's Dolphins teammate during his rookie season in 2020, called on Tagovailoa, 26, to consider retirement amid his latest concussion. The former first-round pick suffered his third diagnosed concussion in three years during the third quarter of the Dolphins' blowout Thursday Night Football loss to the Buffalo Bills after attempting to go head-first into safety Damar Hamlin.
Tagovailoa previously said he considered retirement after suffering multiple concussions during the 2022 season before returning for a 2023 campaign in which he recorded career-best passing numbers.
“Yeah, I think I considered it, you know, for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations,” Tagavaolia said at the time via the New York Post. “It would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am and with my son. It’s my health. My body. I feel like this is what’s best for me.
“I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to the point where my son knew what he’s watching.”