Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire after suffering his latest concussion, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning, per sources informed of the situation.
While there is no current timeline for a return, Tagovailoa has already begun the process of seeing concussion specialists and will continue do so until he and his doctors deem him ready and healthy, Rapoport reported.
The Dolphins QB suffered a concussion in Thursday night’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. In the wake of Tagovailoa's latest concussion, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said he has "zero idea" what any timeline might be and doesn't want to put that sort of pressure on the 26 year old.
"First and foremost, I'm not assessing the injury through the lens of, 'Alright, so what does this mean for him playing?' " McDaniel said on Friday. "Really, for me, I know the facts are that it's important that he gets healthy day by day, and in that, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint."
Tagovailoa’s injury occurred with the Dolphins trailing 31-10 in the third quarter when the signal-caller scrambled for six yards on a fourth-down run. Tagovailoa had a head-first collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin, and the Dolphins QB stayed down while being seen by the team’s medical professionals on the field. He was able to walk off under his own power and was ruled out with a concussion.
Miami backup QB Skylar Thompson finished the game following Tagovailoa's exit. The Dolphins are expected to elevate veteran Tim Boyle on the practice squad with no timeline on Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa has a history of concussions throughout his NFL career.
In 2022, Tagovailoa missed five games, including a playoff game, due to concussions. During Week 4 of that season, the Dolphins QB was stretchered off the field against the Cincinnati Bengals and missed two games. On a Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers, Tagovailoa was concussed and missed for the remainder of the season.
Over the course of five seasons, Tagovailoa has thrown for 13,122 passing yards, 83 touchdowns and 40 interceptions in 55 games played. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has a 33-20 record as a starting QB.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins agreed to a four-year, $212.4 contract extension this past offseason.