The Miami Dolphins got soundly defeated by the Buffalo Bills during Thursday Night Football. However, the much larger concern for the Dolphins is the health of their quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who left the game with a concussion.
It’s Tagovailoa’s third concussion in as many seasons, and it’s prompted discussion around the league about the quarterback’s future in the NFL. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce openly said he’d tell Tagovailoa to retire. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson also commented that if something similar happened to one of his players, he’d have to “do the right thing for the player.”
Here’s where things get even murkier. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July. The deal includes $167.2 million in guarantees.
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Per Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti, $43 million of that contract has been paid already. That leaves about $124 million in guarantees remaining on Tagovailoa’s deal.
If he’s medically forced into retirement, he can receive the entire $124 million—he’d have to express a desire to play but be unable to because of doctor’s orders. However, if a doctor clears him to play and he still opts to retire, then he probably won’t take home that $124 million unless he negotiates a settlement with the Dolphins. Tagovailoa could also seek multiple opinions from doctors, which could lengthen any kind of arbitration.
The Dolphins have a bit of flexibility, too. They can trade Tagovailoa after this season and gain salary cap space. A similar thing would happen if they cut Tagovailoa next summer—they’d have a dead cap hit of $47.4 million in 2025 but would gain cap space in 2026.
Perhaps Tagovailoa is ultimately cleared in the coming weeks and gets back on the field to lead the Dolphins. Should he get cleared and choose to retire, what’s most likely to happen is some sort of agreement between the two parties. He almost certainly wouldn’t get everything he’s owed, but Miami might offer some money in good faith.
The number one priority for Tagovailoa is getting healthy. Whichever route he chooses, it could very well turn into a nine-figure decision.