Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa says he never considered retiring and doesn’t want to be a “poster boy for concussions.”

Tua Tagovailoa’s career appeared to be in serious jeopardy after he suffered his latest concussion during Miami’s Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, Tagovailoa never considered retiring, instead investing his energy into recovering and returning to the field as quickly as possible.

The Dolphins’ franchise quarterback — who has a long history of head injuries during his five-year NFL career — admitted that his recent concussion and subsequent recovery were “no fun,” in addition to the impact it had on his family . But throughout the process, Tagovailoa was never advised to retire, nor did he ever consider it.

“It never occurred to me that I ever thought about retiring,” Tagovailoa told ESPN before Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. “Whether the doctors told me that or not, it would have just been information to me.”

Tagovailoa suffered his last concussion on a running play. Instead of slipping, Tagovailoa ran right into Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. He can still remember what was going through his head before the collision.

“I would say from the second it happened, obviously it wasn’t a good feeling being on the field and knowing the situation,” Tagovailoa recalled. “I’m trying everything I can to get a first down, not knowing, can I slide in this situation? It continued downwards. Can I slip? Do I have to try?”

Tagovailoa learned from this situation. But he’ll still take calculated risks, like his first down run in last Sunday’s loss to the Bills, his second game back after missing four games. That was Tagovailoa’s only lead of the game.

“If you look back at that play, I looked to my right before I scrambled to my right to see where the marker was before I went for it and dove for it,” Tagovailoa said. “So I kind of rework everything.”

During his recovery, Tagovailoa was in constant contact with his doctors, who never told him to retire.

“Honestly, they just asked me how I felt about everything,” he said, “and from then on it was just testing, testing and more questions. … If they told me I couldn’t play, I would. I definitely took that into consideration, but there weren’t any conversations like that.”

Tagovailoa said his family “definitely played a role” in his decision to continue playing. But while all outsiders questioned his future, Tagovailoa never gave himself serious consideration other than his return to the game.

“With what I was doing, training week in and week out,” Tagovailoa said. “I’m here every day, it was a given, so what am I working hard for?”

As for his goals for the remainder of the 2024 season, Tagovailoa said he just wants to “stay healthy.” He gave a similar answer when asked what he wants his legacy to look like when his career comes to an end.

“I can tell you what I don’t want to be known for: the poster boy for concussions,” he said. “That’s for sure.”