KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a lot to think about this offseason, particularly after his team's 26-7 loss Saturday to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card round.
His upcoming contract negotiation, for the time being, is not at the forefront of his mind.
As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, Tagovailoa said he's not worried about getting an extension done this offseason and that he feels confident in what he brings to the Dolphins' franchise.
«I don't feel any pressure at all. I have full trust in myself,» he said. «I have full trust in what I'm capable of doing for our organization, but outside of that we're focusing on tonight and what happened, we're going to simmer on this and see what we can do to get better from it.»
After a 2022 season in which he suffered two concussions and missed 5 total games including Miami's playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa's health was a focal point entering the 2023 season. He spent the offseason building muscle and training in a breakfall jiu-jitsu program to essentially learn how to fall, and prevent himself from hitting his head on the ground — which caused both concussions in 2022.
Tagovailoa's offseason training worked; he started all 17 games for the Dolphins this season and led the NFL in passing yards with 4,624 while setting career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns (29) and completion percentage (69.3%). He was also named as the AFC's Pro Bowl starting quarterback for the first time in his career.
But the Dolphins' offense, which finished second in the NFL in points per game with 29.2, faltered down the stretch of the regular season, as did its quarterback.
Tagovailoa threw four touchdowns against five
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