Despite suffering another concussion, Tua Tagovailoa reportedly has no plans to retire.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Miami Dolphins quarterback has already seen concussion specialists and will continue to do so until he's cleared to play. As of now, there's no timeline for a return.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion late in Thursday's loss to the Buffalo Bills when he was scrambling for a first down and barreled into Damar Hamlin. It's the latest head injury in the 26-year-old quarterback's career. He made it through last season unscathed, but Tagovailoa suffered two concussions in 2022 -- including one when he was stretchered off the field and another on Christmas Day to end his season.
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Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday that he wants to keep the pressure off Tagovailoa when it comes to returning to the field.
"First and foremost, I'm not assessing the injury through the lens of, 'Alright, so what does this mean for him playing?'" McDaniel said. "Really, for me, I know the facts are that it's important that he gets healthy day by day, and in that, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint."
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July, which included $167 million guaranteed.
In his absence, for however long it may be, the Dolphins are expected to roll with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. The third-year pro started three games as a rookie, including one in the postseason, after Tagovailoa's second concussion in 2022. Thompson has 614 career passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in eight career regular-season appearances.
