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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that he expects quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to play again this season, but doesn't have an exact date figured out.
"I do expect to see him playing football in 2024," McDaniel said on Monday (October 14) via ESPN. "But where that is, exactly -- we'll let the process continue, since we still have time before he can even entertain anything. We'll make sure that he's diligent this week and assess after that."
Tagovailoa, 26, suffered his third documented concussion in three seasons during the Dolphins' Thursday Night Football blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. The former Alabama standout reportedly has no plans to retire and already consulted specialists on the next steps to take after suffering his third documented concussion in two years, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on September 15.
Several former NFL players, including Prime Video Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa's Dolphins teammate during his rookie season in 2020, called on Tagovailoa to consider retirement amid his latest concussion. The former first-round pick suffered his third diagnosed concussion in three years during the third quarter of the Dolphins' blowout Thursday Night Football loss to the Buffalo Bills after attempting to go head-first into safety Damar Hamlin.
Tagovailoa previously said he considered retirement after suffering multiple concussions during the 2022 season before returning for a 2023 campaign in which he recorded career-best passing numbers.
“Yeah, I think I considered it, you know, for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations,” Tagavaolia said at the time via the New York Post. “It would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am and with my son. It’s my health. My body. I feel like this is what’s best for me.
“I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to the point where my son knew what he’s watching.”