Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was placed on Injured Reserve on Tuesday afternoon, which means he'll miss at least four games amid his recovery from a concussion.
It's Tagovailoa's fourth registered concussion in five seasons — including another undiagnosed head injury that took place four days prior to a concussion.
While the former Alabama quarterback's career hung in the balance after his most recent injury against the Bills on Thursday night — especially amid outside pressure to retire from football — reports have indicated he intends on continuing his NFL career. The four weeks on IR, at least, will give him time to evaluate his prognosis with neurologists and lay out some groundwork as to how best to combat these injuries in the future.
Tagovailoa is coming off a 2023 NFL season in which he led the league in passing yards and came within a few plays of the Dolphins' first AFC East title since 2008. He was rewarded with a $217 million contract in July. Tagovailoa would be giving up roughly $124 million in guarantees — which includes a potential return of part of his signing bonus — if he were medically cleared and elected to voluntarily retire. If he's not medically cleared and retires, he'd be entitled to the full guarantee.
The quarterback's history of head injuries began at Alabama, where he suffered a concussion, broken nose and hip dislocation after a brutal hit against Mississippi State. Then, in 2022, he injured his head against the Bills, but stayed in the game. He was cleared to play his very next game — just four days later — where he suffered a concussion. The process by which these events took place radically changed the NFL's concussion protocol.
Then, later that season, he suffered another concussion, knocking him out for the year.
While Tagovailoa's absence helped contribute to a precipitous decline in the value of Dolphins futures, Tuesday's news had no bearing. The market had already baked in a lengthy absence for the team's franchise quarterback. The Dolphins remain +4000 to win the Super Bowl. Tagovailoa still has MVP chances at +10000, too.
