Tua Tagovailoa may be trying to dictate his future in the NFL
By Brian Miller
There has been a lot going on in the world of the NFL Draft when you think of Tua Tagovailoa and it appears he may be trying to pull an Eli Manning.
Way back when Eli Manning and his father said there was no way he was playing for the then-San Diego Chargers. The Chargers drafted him anyways and then traded him to the Giants. Are we seeing a repeat with one Tua Tagovailoa? Maybe.
According to reports all over the Super Bowl LIV events around Miami, there are growing rumors that Tagovailoa is trying to send out the message that he doesn’t want to play for at least one certain team. One news report actually said that Tua informed a team in the top five not to draft him.
We know that isn’t the Miami Dolphins because a couple of days ago, Tua and his father raved about how great Miami is and how much it feels like home. Tua’s father even said “we do to” in response to a statement “I hope the Dolphins draft you”.
The latest comes from the Miami Herald.
"“Sources close to Tagovailoas say the Alabama quarterback would love for the Dolphins to trade up to No. 3 to select him. Those same sources say they don’t love the idea of Detroit actually picking Tua because of the arc of that team’s current coaching situation. – MiamiHerald.com"
Further confusing the entire NFL Draft landscape, expected top draft pick Joe Burrow recently said that he wants to be drafted by a team that wants to win multiple Super Bowls. That led one media personality to quip that the Bengals are not that team.
What happens if both QB’s decide they won’t sign with the Bengals or the Lions? It could make for an interesting first hour of the NFL Draft. The thing is, these players have little to no say in where they get drafted. A team like the Lions could very well draft Tua and then hold his rights or hold him hostage in trade talks with another team. The same can be said for Burrow.
The fact that the Tagovailoa’s are speaking out, presumably, isn’t a good light for Tua, not that anyone who on his bandwagon will care. To that part of the fan base, he could come right out and say, “I will only sign with Miami” and they will jump and down with joy.
There is nothing wrong with that, however, I would do the same with Burrow.