Will Tua Tagovailoa leave the NFL? Dolphins QB reveals stance on future

Tua Tagovailoa was at the center of a concerning storyline during the 2022 NFL season. He suffered multiple concussions during the season, forcing him to miss extended time, including the Miami Dolphins' playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. Head injuries, especially when repitive, can be extremely dangerous, so there are good reasons to be concerned about his long-term health.

On "Up & Adams," when asked by host Kay Adams if being a new father has any impact on his decision to continue playing football in relation to his ongoing issues with concussions, Tagovailoa responded:

"No, I don't think it makes me want to stop or forces me to be afraid to come back and play. It definitely makes me want to do things to help myself by hopefully not being in those positions next year. So, we got a plan set up. I'll be doing judo on Fridays just so that I can kind of figure out things like understanding my body and how to fall and things like that."

With @Tua now being a dad, it makes him want do things outside of the NFL to help himself… he will be doing judo every Friday to understand his body and how to fall 🥋

📺: @FanDuelTV | @heykayadams | @nateburleson https://t.co/L6tGenLfWw

While Tua Tagovailoa explained that he has no intention whatsoever of even considering stepping away from football, he said that he will need to be more cautious moving forward. He is working closely with the Dolphins organization to come up with a plan to attempt to avid future head injuries as much as possible.

Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have come up with an interesting plan to implement martial arts into his training routine. Judo is a style of wrestling that focuses mainly on throwing and taking down opponents. They believe this style will help him protect himself better when being hit by defenders. They hope this will help him miss fewer games.

How many games did Tua Tagovailoa miss during the 2022 NFL season due to concussions?

Tua Tagovailoa suffered at least two concussions during the 2022 NFL season. He appeared to have potentially suffered another in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, but was cleared by the third-party doctors to return to the game. He suffered one in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals, forcing him to miss the next two games.

Tagovailoa suffered another major concussion during the Dolphins' Week 16 game against the Green Bay Packers. This forced him to miss the final two games of the regular season, as well as their wild-card matchup against the Buffalo Bills during the playoffs.

Also read: Ranking the 5 nastiest QB performances in Super Bowl history ft. Rich Gannon