Tua Tagovailoa brought many Alabama Crimson Tide fans to the Miami Dolphins when he was drafted in 2020. It's unclear how many will become Falcons fans now that he wasted the first part of his career in South Florida.
The Dolphins knew they were not keeping the quarterback long before Chris Grier departed midway through last season. His contract was horrible for the team, and his relationship with Mike McDaniel had soured to the point that a return may not have been in either's best interest. Of course, it didn't matter in the end.
Tagovailoa is now a member of the Falcons, and he met with the press this week, where he dove into his problems last season, particularly his failure to really own them. For the first time, Tagovailoa admits that he hasn't been very good, but his recollection of when he was good is debatable.
Tua Tagovailoa calls 2025 Miami Dolphins a "Unique" situation
Unique is such a broad word, but with Tagovailoa, anything can be unique.
Tagovailoa said playing with the Dolphins last season was "unique." When asked in what way, he replied: "In a lot of ways." #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) March 24, 2026
It would be great to hear what exactly was unique about playing for the Dolphins last season. Was it his inability to make plays on the move? His inability to carry the team on his shoulders when they needed him to? Perhaps it was unique in the way he threw his teammates under the bus after four weeks of the season, or the fact that he lost his job to a 7th-round rookie to finish his career in South Florida.
Yes, we agree. It was unique in a lot of ways. Like Tagovailoa often does, he added more when he probably shouldn't have.
Tagovailoa: Last year, my play wasn't up to the standard of how I was playing football the three years [before]. Gotta play better football. No way to sugarcoat that. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) March 24, 2026
Dolphins fans know very well that Tagovailoa hasn't played but one year of top-quality NFL football. For his first few years, he showed promise, but it took Mike McDaniel changing his offensive system and play calling to allow the QB to excel.
Tua had one standout season in 2023. His play in 2024 wasn't good enough either. There is a world that Dolphins fans live in, and one that is Tagovailoa's perception. Six seasons with the Dolphins produced no playoff wins, one Pro Bowl, and a lot of injuries.
Dolphins fans are not too worried about what happens next for the quarterback. He will compete for the job in Atlanta, but his one-year deal will make him a free agent in 2027, and that could be an interesting offseason.
Miami fans would love to see him succeed, but can he really turn around his career after six seasons of being the focal point of internal team distress? There is a lot of maturing that might need to happen before he can put that behind him.