Tua Tagovailoa remains a polarizing figure in the NFL. The former Miami Dolphins quarterback is currently sitting out with an oblique injury.
His absence from the Falcons has been closely watched, but it prompted one popular media personality to bring up his current situation compared to the starting records of both the Dolphins and Falcons.
Long-time sportscaster Dan Patrick took a light-hearted jab at Tua by congratulating him for his role in both franchises' struggles. "Congratulations to Tua Tagovailoa, he is actually helping two teams compete for the number 1 pick."
Tua Tagovailoa's contract continues to weigh down the Miami Dolphins roster
Next offseason, the Dolphins will get a big chunk of money back. They are expected to be close to $100 million in cap space, but know this: Tagovailoa will still carry a large amount of dead money. The Dolphins opted to split the hit over two seasons.
Patrick's comments, made on his Dan Patrick Show podcast, are absolutely true. The money Miami has has prohibited them from being active in free agency. Their options were limited to low-cost free agents, draft picks, and undrafted free agents. It's a perfect recipe to make a run at the first overall pick in next year's draft.
As for the Falcons, it's not a financial hit but an availability one. The Falcons have not taken a single snap inside the red zone this year. Tagovailoa was handed the starting job and then hurt his back. That forced the Falcons to start Cooper Rush while Michael Penix Jr. was still healing. On Sunday, Rush got pulled, and undrafted rookie Jack Strand took over the game.
While this is going on, Tagovailoa is on the bench watching it all, and because he isn't on the field, the Falcons missed two opportunities to win. Kevin Stefanski brought Tua into Atlanta to provide veteran leadership and quality competition for Penix.
On Monday, the Falcons announced that Penix will be the Week 3 starter, but made no mention of Tagovailoa's availability as a backup.
There has been a lot of speculation that the Falcons could move on from Tua, especially if Penix plays well, but the injury issues for Penix are problematic.
All in all, Tagovailoa is giving both teams an opportunity, but if we are being honest, the financial impact on the Dolphins from his contract has put Miami in the driver's seat for that draft selection, and no one is going to be taking their foot off that gas pedal anytime soon.
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