Tua Tagovailoa successfully returned to the field five weeks after suffering his third concussion in less than two years.
The Dolphins quarterback, who in July signed a four-year, $212.4 million deal that runs until 2028, threw for 234 yards and one touchdown. However, he was unable to secure the win for Miami after a last-second field goal lifted Arizona, 28–27.
Despite the loss, Tagovailoa said he “felt normal” during his return.
“I felt like myself. I’ve been preparing for five weeks as if I were to play while I was on IR,” Tagovailoa said at the postgame press conference.
The 2023 NFL passing leader admitted that over the last five weeks, he’s been working on making adjustments to try to limit the tackles he takes.
“I’m just trying to avoid the big hits if I can. Sometimes they’re unavoidable … but for me, putting myself in those situations, I would say, for the past few weeks, [I’ve] been able to think and ponder about my decision.”
Pundits have pitched the idea of retirement to the 26-year-old signal-caller soon after he started facing concussions in 2022. Tagovailoa himself admitted on The Dan Le Batard Show in August that he had pondered retirement—and that interview occurred before this most recent concussion.
If Tagovailoa chose to retire, he would have needed to give up $124 million in guaranteed money.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday “zero” medical experts recommended retirement to Tagovailoa. After Sunday’s game, McDaniel said he didn’t make any adjustments to the game plan to accommodate his quarterback’s injury situation.
“You can’t really think about anything but: How can we move the ball and score points,’” McDaniel said.
