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Last year, the Dolphins were ready to move away from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and welcome quarterback Tom Brady (along with coach Sean Payton). It eventually fell apart, thanks in large part to the filing of a landmark racial discrimination lawsuit by former Dolphins coach Brian Flores on the same day Brady announced his “retirement.”
This year, Brady will be a free agent, unrestricted and unhindered in his search for a new team. If he wants one.
Could he be back in the game for Miami? As a source with common knowledge of the various dynamics surrounding all things Brady (a source who was adamant Brady could end up with the Dolphins in 2020) recently put it, the possibility is “definitely on the table “.
It’s unclear if the dolphins would keep Tagovailoa or move on. He is expected to earn $4.738 million in 2023, the final year of his rookie deal. The Dolphins could keep him on the list as Brady’s replacement – if Brady does indeed finally join the Dolphins.
Tagovailoa could also be traded if the Dolphins found a partner willing to take on the concussion risks that are now very real when it comes to bringing Tua onto the field.
It becomes a strange point of tension between player and team. Tua, who has played very well this year when he has played, will likely want to continue playing. That he will be out of action for three weeks following his recent concussion shows just how thorny the issue will be in the coming months. It also suggests the organization may have decided that Tua’s time in South Florida is over.
Miami may be poised to move away from the center of a national debate about football concussions that had largely died down before Tagovailoa’s troubles in 2022. Brady or anyone else, the Miami quarterback situation has become one of the biggest stories to watch in the 2023 offseason.