On Tuesday, the Miami Dolphins placed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve with a concussion. This means that he will not be eligible to return to the team until week eight at the earliest, but the Dolphins are not pushing him. Head coach Mike McDaniel does not want Tagovailoa to feel any pressure, as anxiety can contribute to worsening concussions.

“I’m not trying to even look at, OK, well, how serious is this relative to his past ones? I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day … the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.”

Tagovailoa took a hit to the head as he scrambled for a first down Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills from safety Damar Hamlin and needed help from trainers to walk off the field. Immediately, concern rang out around the league as this would be Tagovailoa’s third concussion in three seasons for a player just 26 years old. He is the only quarterback in concussion protocol three times in five seasons, leading to speculation he would leave the game altogether.  Some media pundits, including Robert Griffin III and Manti T’eo, called for the Alabama alumni’s retirement from the NFL, given that he has a young family and head injuries add up over time. However, reports from various sources state that Tagovailoa will not retire from the NFL.

The Dolphins are turning to backup quarterback Skylar Thompson to start their week three matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Thompson played five seasons at Kansas State University before being drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In relief on Thursday, he went 8/14 for 80 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The team also signed Snoop Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, and he did an admirable job filling in for Lamar Jackson over the last few seasons.

Brian Flores, the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator, addressed recent criticism from Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa labeled Flores a “terrible person” in a recent interview, criticizing the former Dolphins head coach’s style during their time together.

Flores, Miami’s head coach during Tagovailoa’s first two seasons, responded with empathy. “I’m genuinely happy for the success that Tua has had,” Flores said. “I really wish him nothing but the best.”

Tagovailoa’s comments aired on The Dan Le Batard Show, where he contrasted Flores’ coaching style with current Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. Tagovailoa described Flores’ approach as demeaning. “If you woke up every morning and I told you [that] you suck at what you did,” he said. “How would it make you feel?”

Flores admitted that hearing the remarks was painful. “I think part of coaching is correcting,“ Flores said. “I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the situation and communication. There are things that I could do better for sure, and I’ve tried to apply the things I’ve learned over the last two or three years.”

Flores was fired from the Dolphins in January 2022 amid speculation about his relationship with Tagovailoa

Flores noted he wanted to reach out to Tagovailoa in the future. “I got into coaching to make a positive impact,“ Flores said. “My goal is always to help players become the best versions of themselves.“

The Miami Dolphins are set to begin team drills on Monday as part of their voluntary organized team activities (OTAs), but uncertainty about whether starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will participate. Sources close to the situation revealed that Tagovailoa has been absent from most voluntary offseason activities since the team reconvened on April 15. This is a departure from his consistent attendance in previous seasons, raising questions about his future with the team.

Tagovailoa’s absence appears to be contract-related. Currently playing under his fifth-year option worth $23.171 million, the former fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is seeking a long-term contract extension that has yet to materialize. As the going rate for top-tier NFL quarterbacks approaches $50 million annually, Tagovailoa’s current deal leaves him underpaid.

Last season, Tagovailoa demonstrated his potential by playing in all 17 games for the first time in his career, throwing for a career-high 4,624 yards and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Despite these achievements, questions about his durability persist, stemming from injuries during his college career and early NFL seasons.

The Dolphins, who picked up Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option last March, have expressed a desire to keep him long-term. General manager Chris Grier said that in January, there was ongoing positive dialogue with Tagovailoa’s agent, focusing on maintaining a solid relationship between the quarterback and the team.

Tagovailoa’s strategy of using his absence from voluntary workouts as leverage for a new contract is not uncommon in the NFL. While he did make an early appearance at the Dolphins’ facilities in April, his continued absence could signal impatience with the contract negotiations. If this standoff extends into training camp, the financial penalties could grow, although the Dolphins might choose to waive or reduce these fines.

Securing a deal for Tagovailoa could provide the Dolphins with financial flexibility, allowing them to manage their salary cap more effectively and retain key players. This offseason, Miami faced cap constraints, losing valuable contributors like Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt.

Recent deals have reshaped the market for quarterback contracts, including record-breaking agreements for players like Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, who were drafted in the same year as Tagovailoa. These contracts, characterized by high average annual values and substantial guaranteed money, set a challenging benchmark for the Dolphins’ negotiations.

As the Dolphins begin their OTAs, they will focus on the field and Tagovailoa’s contract saga. How the team addresses this situation will have significant implications for its competitive future and the stability of its roster.

Since an uncharacteristic loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs on January 13, the Miami Dolphins have entered a crucial offseason.

Dolphins fans held high expectations for their team throughout the season.

QB Tua Tagovailoa led the number-one ranked offense in the league with help from some of the most dangerous offensive weapons, Tyreek Hill, Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Waddle and others. Collectively, the Dolphins finished the regular season first in total yards, (6.582) second in total points, (496) first in passing yards (4,514) and sixth in rushing yards (2,308). They were 17 points and 114 total yards away from setting new franchise records in each of those categories.

All of this offensive production led to many breakout plays and exciting high-scoring games throughout the season, but it only earned them the number six seed in the AFC after giving up the AFC East division title in a loss to the Buffalo Bills on the last game of the regular season. They were forced to go on the road and play the Kansas City Chiefs.

It wasn’t 75 degrees and sunny in Kansas City like it had been in Miami for many games in the season. In fact, it was dangerously cold. At kickoff, it was minus four degrees Fahrenheit and the windchill was minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one of the coldest games in NFL history. Multiple fans in the stadium were taken to the hospital after spending dangerous amounts of time in the cold.

Everyone knew the Dolphins were going to be playing in uncomfortable conditions, but not everyone expected their offense to underperform so significantly. They scored only one touchdown in the game, ending their season on a disappointing 26-7 loss.

The Dolphins are expected to return a similar team next year, hoping to maintain their offensive success in the offseason and improve their performances against above-average teams. In 2023, the  Dolphins went 10-1 against teams that did not end up making the playoffs, yet they were 1-5 against eventual playoff teams.

Tagovailoa set the bar high for quarterback play in Miami. Thankfully for the Dolphins, he has one more year left in his contract thanks to Miami picking up the fifth-year option, although no one can be sure about what will happen after that. It wouldn’t be accurate to put Tagovailoa on the same level as Mahomes or MVP favorite Lamar Jackson, but many people still believe that Tagovailoa can take the Dolphins further in the postseason.

Now they will have plenty of time to reflect, reevaluate and begin to prepare for Tagovailoa’s “prove-it” campaign in the 2024-25 season.

Mother’s Day for athletes can always be interesting, especially for rookies. In the past, we have seen young football and basketball players buy their mother’s expensive jewelry, houses and apartments, and even luxury cars. 

This year, the Miami Dolphins new gunslinger Tua Tagavailoa followed suit, and purchased his mother a brand new Cadillac Escalade. 

Tagavailoa posted a video to Twitter documenting the surprise gift. “Happy Mother’s Day to a more than deserving mother. I love you mom,” he said in the message. The clip documents the whole family walking out of the house together to see the shining, new vehicle. His mother was in awe.

“This is mine?” his mother asked.

Tagavailoa has had a pretty successful few weeks since the draft, and he hasn’t even started practicing with the team yet. He has, for the last couple of weeks, been the reigning leader in NFL jersey sales, beating out guys like Brady and Gronk, and a handful of other rookies that went ahead of him in this year’s draft. 

Since the draft, Tagavailoa has signed with brands like Muscle Milk, Bose, Hulu, Verizon Wireless and, most importantly, Adidas. 

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Fortunately with all of the sponsorship cash, and the $19 million signing bonus on his already $30 million  contract was able to purchase a vehicle big enough to carry the entire Tagavailoa family. 

“I know you wanted something that would be able to carry everyone,” Tua said in his Twitter video. That being his mother, father, two sisters and his younger brother, who is taking the quarterback reigns at Alabama for the foreseeable future. 

On Thursday night, the Miami Dolphins took a risk that many analysts predicted and chose Alabama quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa to be the next man behind center. 

Within 12 hours of being chose, the former Alabama front man has now had details of his Dolphins contract leaked, and it’s safe to say his celebration will be continuing. 

According to Sportrac, the Fins are signing Tua to a four-year contract worth $30.2 million, as well as a $19.5 million signing bonus. This makes the rookie the 25th highest average paid QB in the league with $7.55 million per year. 

Tagavailoa was the second QB off the board behind LSU QB and heisman winner, Joe Burrow. 

Analysts and fans alike were concerned about the injury history of the Alabama QB, paying close attention to the high ankle sprains that he racked up in 2018 and 2019. Not to mention the broken right knee and of course, the hip injury that cut his season short. 

Aside from the concern about injuries, many believe he has the most raw talent in the draft and could translate his skill quickly to the NFL.

Legendary Rams QB Kurt Warner gave his thoughts on the now rookie Dolphins quarterback, saying, “It’s interesting that when he suffered this injury, a lot of people going into the draft thought, ‘Well, he’s going to have a redshirt year anyways. Even if we draft him, we’re going to sit him for a year.”

He continued discussing the change of thought after his pro day and combine workouts. 

“I think when people saw that workout, they said to themselves, ‘Well, maybe not.’ He looks really good, he looks explosive. Those are things he was built on in college. The quickness of his feet, the ability to redirect his feet, to buy time in the pocket, I think we all loved what we saw in that video.”

Tua’s original claim to fame was his game winning drive in the 2017 national championship. After longtime Alabama QB Jalen Hurts decided to move on and transfer to OU, Tagavailoa stepped in and threw for four yards short of 4,000 and 43 touchdowns his second year. Before the hip injury in his junior season, Tua had thrown for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns. 

On Thursday, the Dolphins added on USC lineman Austin Jackson to continue sharpening a new, young Miami front line.