When questioned about his preparations for the 2024 NFL season, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa provided an intriguing reaction.
“I’m not telling anyone what I’m doing this offseason,” Tagovailoa stated, according to Christian Shimabuku of Honolulu’s KHON. “That’s what makes me unique in my own way. I am a pretty private person, therefore I believe that will be handled in-house.”
Tagovailoa sustained at least two alleged concussions during the 2022 season and later acknowledged that he pondered quitting owing to concerns about the brain injury. He then said that he spent part of previous offseason practicing in jiu-jitsu to avoid concussions. That “break-fall training” was disclosed in a January article.
Whatever Tagovailoa did or didn’t do last spring and summer appeared to work, as he made 17 regular-season starts for the first time in his career. According to ESPN data, he finished Week 18 leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards and rated 10th among qualifying players with a 60.8 adjusted QBR.
Tagovailoa does not have to share information about his offseason activities, but one would expect someone in his position to freely discuss how jiu-jitsu training may benefit players in a variety of disciplines. When queried about the last year of his contract, the 26-year-old provided scant information, including a salary-cap charge of approximately $23.171 million in 2024.
“They’ve been good,” Tagovailoa said of contract negotiations with the Dolphins. “Right now, I’m letting my agency handle it. I’m focused on my family, on continuing to improve myself and my trade, and we’ll talk about it more when the time comes. For now, there will undoubtedly be exciting days ahead.”
Tagovailoa signed with the same agency in February 2023 that helped New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones get a four-year contract worth up to $160 million the following month. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Jones’ deal with Tagovailoa is that the Giants can move on from their incumbent quarterback as early as next offseason.
Given Tagovailoa’s injury history, the Dolphins are likely to desire comparable safeguards, but the quarterback’s camp will have a lot to say about this between now and September.
