Another scary concussion suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had fans and players concerned for his long-term health. Tagovailoa exited Thursday Night Football's contest against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter. The Dolphins ended up losing 31-10 on their home field.
While scrambling on a fourth down in the red zone as the Dolphins hurried to get back into the game, Tagovailoa lowered his head into Bills defender Damar Hamlin's chest. Unfortunately, this caused Tagovailoa to have his head and neck area take the brunt of the impact, and he was helped off the field after collapsing after the hit.
How Much Would Dolphins Owe if Tua Tagovailoa Retires?
Tagovailoa, who just signed a four-year, $212.4 million deal this offseason, is under contract until after the 2028 season. He received over $132 million fully guaranteed, and with injury guarantees, has a package of about $167 million across the deal. His signing bonus of $42 million has already been paid out.
Should Tagovailoa retire after suffering this latest concussion, the Dolphins could opt to honor the entirety of his $212.4 million contract like the Colts did with Andrew Luck.
They could also give him the minimum total without going after any of the signing bonus. Counting his $42 million signing bonus, Miami would pay a total of $167 million since it would be injury-related. That's $125 million in new money owed.
If it's not ruled as injury-related, Miami would owe Tagovailoa about $90 million on top of the $42 million already paid out.
How Many Concussions Has Tua Tagovailoa Had?
Officially, Tagovailoa has now had three concussions, but it's possible he's suffered additional concussions that weren't diagnosed.
During the 2022 NFL season, Tagovailoa's initial diagnosed concussion occurred in a tense moment on "Thursday Night Football" versus the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.
This injury against Cincinnati drew widespread attention, especially since Tagovailoa experienced a strong fall on the field in a game against the Bills four days before.
Although the very first incident of the season (against Buffalo) was initially considered a head injury, it was later classified as a back problem. Despite this, Tagovailoa returned to the field in the Week 3 game after wobbling and falling to the ground. See the play below.
The situation led to the NFL Players Association releasing the independent neurologist who had given Tagovailoa the green light to continue playing in the second half of the Week 3 matchup.
Furthermore, in Week 16, Tagovailoa endured another concussion during a game against the Green Bay Packers, which resulted in him sitting out the last two games of the season, including a playoff match.
Although Tagovailoa resumed playing in the second half of the game against the Packers, where he threw three interceptions, the concussion was not identified until after the game.
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