It’s official: Tua Tagovailoa is coming back to the NFL. The quarterback is due to make his return when his time on the injured reserve list expires and he brings a strong mentality back to the Miami Dolphins by feeling “obliged” to try to rescue their season.
The 26-year-old quarterback signed a $212.4 million deal with the Dolphins in July but found his career on the ropes on September 12 when head contact with a Buffalo Bills player left him with a third concussion in two years.
Since then, the team’s offense has struggled with none of the replacement QBs being up to the task leaving star wide receiver Tyreek Hill with no way of impacting the red zone at the right end of the field for Mike McDaniel.
But it’s good news for the 2023 Pro Bowl nominee, who will likely return when the Floridian side clash with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, November 8 as they bid to rescue their season and status in the AFC East and Tagovailoa‘s impressive mental fortitude is part of why.
“It’s no surprise to me that he’s going to try to do so,” Manti Te’o, a close family friend, told TMZ Sports. “That’s just Tua being Tua.
“He loves the game. He feels an obligation to his teammates. That’s just who he is. He plays hurt.”
Te’o had previously called for the overall fifth pick of the 2020 NFL Draft to walk away from the sport following the latest concussion, which could lead to severe injuries such as paralysis or brain health issues in later life.
But since then, he conceded that the 6ft 1in star of the Dolphins‘ offense will make the right call at the right time and it seems as though that time is not currently now for the Samoan-Hawaiian footballer.
“Tua’s a grown man now,” Te’o added to TMZ. “He has a family of his own. I think everybody just wants the best for him — whatever that is.”
Who do the Dolphins play in Week 5?
It’s a big game for the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 of the 2024/25 NFL season as they take on the New England Patriots at the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts at 13:00 ET/10:00 PT.
A victory for the Dolphins will see them move off the foot of the AFC East and above the Patriots, and potentially level on records with the New York Jets meanwhile a defeat will see them start to become cut adrift from the pack, especially the 3-1 Buffalo Bills.
