In the wake of his fourth diagnosed concussion in the last five years (counting his final collegiate season), Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is set to meet with neurologists within the next couple of days, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter . The 2023 Pro Bowler is naturally trying to collect as much information as possible before deciding on his playing future, but as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports, Tagovailoa has no plans to retire .
Of course, Tagovailoa will go through the league’s concussion protocol, a process that was modified as a result of his previous head injuries in 2022. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes, the protocol will be the same for Tagovailoa as it is for all other players, although the southpaw passer is one of just a few players — and the only quarterback — who has entered the protocol three separate times in the last five years (Jones also notes that, at the time of his latest injury, Tagovailoa was wearing the helmet that the league and union agree is currently the best at minimizing the severity of impacts to the head).
If Tagovailoa clears the protocol, he will have an important decision to make, one which will have a tremendous impact on his financial future. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the four-year, $212.4M extension that Miami authorized for Tagovailoa at the end of July does not include any concussion-related provisions or carve-outs for either the player or the team, despite the unfortunate history here.
Of the $212.4M total value of Tagovailoa’s new contract, roughly $167M is guaranteed for injury. $43M of that figure has already been paid out, so if Tagovailoa is cleared to play but chooses to retire — as noted above, he presently has no intention of doing so — he would forfeit the remaining $124M, absent some sort of settlement with the Dolphins (h/t Spotrac). The ‘Fins could also seek to recover paid but unearned signing bonus money, which would amount to $8.4M per year through 2028 and roughly $466K for each game left in 2024 after he is cleared (via Florio).
Luckily, both Rapoport and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hear that Tagovailoa will not be forced into retirement. But if for some reason he does not receive medical clearance, then the team would still need to pay him the $124M in remaining injury guarantees. While the contract itself does not include any special language regarding concussions, the Dolphins did take out an insurance policy that would cover up to $49.3M of that $124M figure, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com notes.
Needless to say, the primary concern here is Tagovailoa’s long-term health, though the financial component of the situation cannot be ignored. At this time, there is no timeframe for a resolution, with head coach Mike McDaniel saying he is not focused on his quarterback’s return to the field.
“You’re talking about his career — his career is his,” McDaniel said. “I just wish that people would for a second hear what I’m saying, that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him. So, I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care that that should be the last thing on your mind.”
