Tua Tagovailoa’s retirement could cost the Dolphins $124 million after GM relied on jiu-jitsu to overcome his concussions

Tua Tagovailoa’s NFL future is the subject of widespread debate after he suffered his third concussion in 24 months and his fourth overall on Thursday night.

Tagovailoa collapsed to the turf in pain and showed signs of a traumatic brain injury after being hit by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, according to several experts. Tagovailoa’s history of brain injuries includes two within a month of the 2022 season.

Tagovailoa later admitted that he had discussed with his family whether he should continue playing football afterward, but he came back for more.

His recent injury led to calls from fellow professional athletes, former NFL players, media pundits and concerned fans and observers for him to retire from the game.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is helped onto the field during the second half of a game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tagovailoa will go through the NFL’s concussion protocols in the coming days. It’s possible that the team’s trainers and doctors will eventually clear Tagovailoa to return to the field, in which case he would have to decide whether he wants to continue playing. There’s also a chance that doctors won’t clear him to return.

If Tagovailoa fails concussion protocols for the third time in his NFL career, he could be forced to retire, in which case the Dolphins would have to pay out a large portion of his $212.4 million contract.

The contract, signed in July by Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, includes $167 million in guarantees. Tagovailoa has already earned $43 million of that salary, and if he must retire for health reasons, he will be entitled to the remaining $124 million.

However, if he is given permission to return and decides to retire anyway, he would lose the guaranteed money. In that case, he and the team would have to come to an agreement.

The contract was signed long after his three previous concussions and even after he admitted he had considered retiring during the previous offseason. But Grier said during a team press conference on Feb. 28 that he was not concerned about the quarterback’s concussion history.

When Tagovailoa’s contract extension was being discussed months before the signing, Grier was asked if the quarterback’s previous concussions had played a role in the team’s evaluation of the offer.

DOLPHINS PLAYER TUA TAGOVAILOA FACING CALLS TO RETIRE FROM NFL AFTER NEW CONCUSSION: ‘IT’S NOT WORTH IT’

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) appears to have suffered a concussion after hitting his head on the ground during a tackle by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, September 12, 2024. (Jasen Vinlove/Images)

“No,” Grier replied. “I think every player we have has to deal with certain things. As you’ve seen this year, when you look at all the quarterback injuries around the league, there are other quarterbacks and really good players who have had multiple season-ending injuries.”

Grier cited offseason jiu-jitsu training as a remedy for the quarterback’s concussion problems.

“Tua went into the offseason wanting to prove he could stay healthy. He took the time to learn how to fall, do jiu-jitsu and stuff, and it paid off for him,” he said.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said he and the team were also “comfortable” that jiu-jitsu was the solution to preventing concussions for their quarterback.

“We had different ideas, some of which I won’t repeat because they weren’t as good as this one. We were willing to do anything,” McDaniel said during a team press conference, also held on February 28.

“However, as he gets into it and we really talk to him and hear how committed the coach is to him and how committed he is to it and getting good results, we’re very confident that this is the best preparation for him for things that he wouldn’t have been able to prepare for otherwise. It’s something like a throw motion with a follow-through, something that we try to train and he’s 100% into it and approaching it with vigor and enthusiasm.”

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field after the loss to the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on January 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Tagovailoa began training with Jiu-Jitsu expert Ricardo Liborio during the 2023 offseason. The goal was to teach him to control his body and his movements when falling to the ground to prevent his head from hitting the turf too hard.

Jiujitsu is a martial art that focuses on self-defense tactics against opponents, but the form originated in Brazil and began as a variant of Japanese judoka. It is not intended to involve being attacked by a group of NFL players.

In Tagovailoa’s case, jiu-jitsu training played no role in a solo tackle on the 200-pound Hamlin. Tagovailoa was injured when he charged forward to gain yards and his head collided with Hamlin’s body.

Tagovailoa’s arms froze, a reaction neurologists call the “fencing reaction,” a sign of traumatic brain injury.

Now Tagovailoa has 10 days to pass the league’s concussion protocol.

If Tagovailoa fails protocol in the next 10 days, the team could be forced to place him on the injured list, which would keep him out for at least four games. This could prompt the front office to prepare for a future without its star quarterback and possibly without that $124 million.

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