There was a time when Tua Tagovailoa displayed such immense potential as a future NFL standout that franchises actively “tanked for Tua” during the 2019 season in anticipation of his draft entry.
However, near the end of Alabama’s 2019 campaign, Tagovailoa sustained a devastating hip injury. He was tackled while throwing the ball away and remained on the turf, unable to stand, before being carted off the field. Although Tagovailoa managed to recover from this setback, it marked the beginning of a long sequence of physical misfortunes.
The trajectory of Tagovailoa’s career has featured brief high points contrasted by numerous difficult setbacks. Another wave of misfortune struck this past Thursday. While warming up during practice just days ahead of his scheduled start in the Atlanta Falcons’ season opener, he suddenly clutched his midsection and collapsed to the turf, having strained his oblique. By Friday, he was officially sidelined because of the injury, abruptly stripping away what could have been his sole opportunity to lead the Falcons’ offense this year.
It represents the kind of highly unusual setback that rarely occurs, yet for Tagovailoa, such incidents have become incredibly commonplace.
Tua Tagovailoa was declared out for the Falcons’ Week 1 matchup following an oblique injury. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
(Todd Kirkland via Getty Images)
Tagovailoa has now embarked on a fresh chapter of his professional journey, attempting to reclaim the greatness he once possessed.
The narrative surrounding Tagovailoa’s career will likely be viewed through a specific lens, which does not do him complete justice. He proved to be a highly capable signal-caller for a period, overcoming his severe collegiate hip injury to become the fifth overall selection in the NFL Draft and subsequently put together several strong campaigns. During the 2023 season, he topped the league in passing yards and earned a Pro Bowl selection, following that up in 2024 by leading the NFL in completion percentage.
His play was highly commendable, but his momentum was severely halted by a series of concussions.
Tagovailoa endured several highly publicized head injuries, including a pair that occurred during nationally televised prime-time matchups. He admitted that these concussions led him to contemplate walking away from the sport entirely. Ultimately, he chose to keep playing and arguably deserved to be named the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. By 2024, he secured a lucrative four-year extension worth $212.4 million with the Dolphins, cementing an incredibly inspiring recovery story given his past struggles.
While the financial compensation is substantial, wealth is not the sole measure of success. Regrettably, Tagovailoa’s football path has been defined by immense misfortune and injustice, a trend that has persisted even after securing his massive contract extension.
Tagovailoa’s statistics plummeted dramatically following his most recent severe concussion, sustained during a Week 2 Thursday night clash against the Buffalo Bills in 2024. His performance declined steadily, prompting the Dolphins to demote him to the bench last year before ultimately releasing him this off-season, resulting in an unprecedented $99.2 million dead-cap penalty—the largest in the history of the NFL. At only 28 years of age, his professional future appeared incredibly bleak.
Atlanta decided to take a gamble on him with a one-year contract, largely due to uncertainty surrounding Michael Penix Jr.’s recovery timeline from ACL reconstruction ahead of the season opener. Because Penix was unable to return for the first week, Tagovailoa was named the starter against the Steelers, despite a mediocre showing throughout training camp and exhibition games (which included unwarranted boos from the crowd during an exhibition matchup in Miami). Nevertheless, this starting opportunity offered him a vital platform to showcase his skills and compile positive game film. Securing such an opportunity was crucial if he hoped to establish any viable path toward reclaiming a starting role in the league. Given that Penix was expected back shortly, Tagovailoa’s window to play was limited, making it imperative that he maximize every snap.
Instead, an injury sustained during basic pre-game warmups has sidelined him for at least the upcoming game. It is highly probable that once he heals, Penix will have already assumed the starting job. There are even rumors circulating that the Falcons might cut ties with Tagovailoa altogether, as his contract is worth a modest $1.2 million.
It is an incredibly tragic turn of events for an athlete whose professional trajectory has been repeatedly derailed by physical setbacks completely beyond his control. He simply appears to be plagued by bad luck.
Professional football is an inherently brutal business, filled with countless narratives of players whose tenures were cut short by physical trauma. Yet, the specific path of Tagovailoa’s career feels exceptionally harsh. He will watch this week’s action from the sidelines because of yet another bizarre, random injury, left to wonder if and when he will ever get another opportunity to take snaps under center.
