Dolphins In Flux Even As Tua Tagovailoa Would Initially Like To Keep Playing

The Miami Dolphins are teetering now. They are a franchise looking at uncertainty short-term and long-term, and it mostly stems from Tua Tagovailoa's concussion last Thursday but stretches beyond that to the general manager, the coach, and the franchise itself.

A franchise in flux.

Taken as a single event, Tagovailoa's concussion would typically be a difficult moment, the possibility of which all NFL teams face practically every game – an injury to its starting quarterback.

But this isn't just that. 

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 12: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins lays on the ground after colliding with Damar Hamlin #3 of the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 12, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Tagovailoa No Current Retirement Plan

This is a concussion to a quarterback who had two previous concussions dating back to 2022. It's a third concussion (and possibly fourth head trauma based on contact days prior to his first concussion) that has Tagovailoa out in the literal sense.

He's all but out of the team's next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.

He's expected to be out beyond that game.

He'll be out next week seeking neurological testing and advice on this injury.

And he could be out longterm in that this latest concussion will lead to a career decision on Tagovailoa. 

Tagovailoa has no current plans to retire, per a source. He wants to play and thinks he can continue to work on mitigating future head injuries. But the decision may not be his to make. 

Tagovailoa is visiting neurologists for testing in the coming days. And those doctors and tests will go a long way in deciding his future. So he faces two obvious options:

• Tagovailoa is not cleared by doctors to play again, and his career is over.
• Tagovailoa is cleared to play and returns.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) left Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium with 4:36 left in the third quarter after taking a hard hit from a Bills defender, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Doctors Must Still Clear Tagovailoa

The Dolphins' quarterback will face one of those two. And the first one is a disaster for the franchise.

If Tagovailoa cannot get cleared to play again – admittedly a longshot, but one that cannot be dismissed – he will walk away with generational wealth and the knowledge he can live the rest of his life without risking further brain injuries. 

Tagovailoa agreed to a $212M contract on July 26 that made him one of the NFL's highest-paid players. The deal includes $167.2 million guaranteed, including for injury.

So, if Tagovailoa is not cleared to return, he will collect all of that money. 

It is very rare that a player is never cleared following an injury and unprecedented for a player who just signed a $212 million contract.

The more likely scenario Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will face is when he is cleared and decides what to do next. If he decides to play, forward we go.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 19: General manager Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

A Caveat To Tagovailoa Decision

If, however, the tests are so ominous in their results that they allow him to play but offer a significant warning about his future, Tagovailoa may be forced to rethink the whole situation. 

That potential rethink from Tagovailoa's current desire to keep playing comes with problems in that if he decides to voluntarily retire, it could cost him approximately $88 million over the next two years.

Losing Tagovailoa in any scenario presents the Dolphins with a problem beyond not having their starting quarterback. 

The club that knew Tagovailoa had two concussions before signing that new contract did not include any concussion language or provisions in the deal. 

That reflects on general manager Chris Grier, who is already under fire for making decisions that are questionable in the forethought department.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 23: Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen M. Ross talks to General Manager Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills on October 23, 2016 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated Buffalo 28-25. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Grier Forethought Becomes A Focus

It is Grier who has for years resisted calls to address the team's offensive line. He even called out the media about it earlier this year.

"It’s always interesting because (coach) Mike (McDaniel) and I were talking about this the other day with the offensive line how every year, you guys are like, ‘Not good enough, not good enough,' but then, offensively, we’re a pretty good offense the last two years, and a number of you guys have talked about how the guys have improved," Grier told reporters on Aug. 28.

Well, two weeks later the Dolphins offensive line doesn't look good.

Aside from the fact Miami lost starting right guard Robert Hunt in free agency, starting left guard Isaiah Wynn is on the physically unable to perform list, still trying to return from a quadriceps injury he suffered in 2023, and backup Robert Jones left Thursday's Buffalo loss with a shoulder injury.

Veteran left tackle Terron Armstead, often injured throughout his career, also left Thursday's loss to the Bills with an injury. And starting center Aaron Brewer is playing but still trying to get to 100 percent after breaking his snapping hand in August.

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa talks to head coach Mike McDaniel during training camp. (Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)

McDaniel Miracle May Be Necessary

Catastrophic? No.

Troubling? Only if the team expects to win this year. 

With Tagovailoa out of the lineup for an uncertain period of time and the offensive line shaky, what are Miami's chances in upcoming games behind young backup QB Skylar Thompson?

And what are Miami's chances of overcoming that uncertain period in time to get in the playoffs, much less win a playoff game to break an NFL-leading 24-year postseason win drought?

It's possible McDaniel works a miracle. But his club has seemed lackluster the season's first two games, despite salvaging a victory over Jacksonville in the opener.

If McDaniel keeps the Dolphins afloat long enough for Tagovailoa to return, perhaps this early season "adversity" makes the club stronger, as McDaniel has suggested. 

If not …

Let's just say things are in flux.