Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa isn't 'telling anyone what he's doing' this offseason

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa offered an interesting response when asked this past weekend how he's preparing for the 2024 NFL season. 

"I’m not telling anyone what I’m doing this offseason," Tagovailoa said, per Christian Shimabuku of Honolulu's KHON. "That’s what makes me special in my way. I’m a very private person, so I think that’s gonna be in-house." 

Tagovailoa suffered a minimum of two reported concussions during the 2022 season and subsequently admitted that he considered retiring due to concerns related to those head injuries. It later became public knowledge he spent a portion of last offseason training in jiu-jitsu in an attempt to avoid concussions. That "break-fall training" was detailed in a story published in January. 

Whatever Tagovailoa did and/or didn't do last spring and summer seemed to work considering he made 17 regular-season starts for the first time of his career. According to ESPN stats, he ended Week 18 leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, and he was ranked 10th among qualified players with a 60.8 adjusted QBR. 

Tagovailoa certainly doesn't have to reveal specifics about his offseason activities, but one may assume somebody in his position would openly address how jiu-jitsu training could help athletes participating in various sports. The 26-year-old also offered little when asked about the final year of his contract, which has a salary-cap charge of roughly $23.171M for 2024.

"They’ve been good," Tagovailoa said about contract discussions with the Dolphins. "Right now, I’m letting my agent handle that. I’m focused on my family, I’m focused on continuing to better myself, better my craft and we’ll talk more about that when that time comes. For now, exciting times ahead, that’s for sure." 

In February 2023, Tagovailoa signed with the same agency that ultimately helped New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones ink a four-year contract the following month that could be worth up to $160M. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Jones's deal concerning Tagovailoa is that the Giants can move on from their current QB1 as soon as next offseason. 

The Dolphins likely want similar protections, considering Tagovailoa's injury history, but the quarterback's camp will have plenty to say about such matters between now and September.