Tagovailoa will now be assessed under the NFL’s return-to-participation protocol, a five-step process players must clear before returning to action.
They are assessed by a team physician and an independent neurological consultant (INC), who will also consider the player’s past exposures and medical history.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the timeline for Tagovailoa’s potential return is “the furthest thing from my mind” as he is “caring about the human being”. But once the player is passed fit, it will then be his decision whether to put himself back in harm’s way.
Tagovailoa admitted contemplating retirement, external after the two concussions in 2022. At that point, he was still on a rookie contract worth $30m (£22.9m). However, he has since signed a four-year deal worth $212m (£161m).
Fellow quarterback Andrew Luck is the most high-profile example of a player who retired early for the sake of his health – aged 29 in 2019.
Over the last 10 years, Jordan Reed (30), Luke Kuechly (28), AJ Tarpley (23), Ali Marpet (28) and Chris Borland (24) have also stopped playing because of multiple concussions or concerns over the long-term impact of head traumas.
Tagovailoa, though, has a far more lucrative contract at stake.
