Tua Tagovailoa concussion: Medical expert weighs in on Dolphins QB’s potential recovery timeline

The Miami Dolphins lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a concussion in Thursday night’s blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills, the third confirmed head injury suffered by the signal-caller in the last two years. If the concussion proves as “extreme” as it appeared Thursday, Tagovailoa could be sidelined a minimum of eight to 12 weeks, according to CBS Sports HQ injury expert Marty Jaramillo, though the quarterback’s history of head trauma suggests “retirement has to at least be in play.”

Tagovailoa’s “fencing” position, which he displayed after absorbing contact to the head in the third quarter, was a “textbook sign of a severe head injury,” Jaramillo tells CBS Sports. “He hit his head twice. First on the tackle, second on landing. This young man simply doesn’t have the luxury of having multiple concussions and [then thinking] he will have a long career. … [It’s] not fair to himself and his family.”

Jaramillo estimates that Tagovailoa’s family and personal physicians, along with Dolphins medical personnel, will “be discussing how much time we should give this young man to give him the best chance for long-term health, not just football.” He added that “unfortunately, decisions of this magnitude [tend to] have the short term at the forefront, with less weight given for long-term consequences,” as “everyone is invincible at his age until they are not.”

Tagovailoa, for what it’s worth, has openly admitted he contemplated retirement following the 2022 NFL season, during which he missed four games and suffered at least two concussions. He appeared in all 17 games for Miami the subsequent season, staying healthy to earn a lucrative contract extension this summer.

The 26-year-old quarterback, a former first-round draft pick who drew MVP consideration at the start of each of his last two seasons, also missed time due to injury in his first two NFL campaigns.