Tony Gonzalez says Tua Tagovailoa should consider retirement after suffering another concussion

The first "Thursday Night Football" game of the season took place on Sept. 12, with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Buffalo Bills in a AFC East battle. While the Bills dominated the Dolphins to a commanding 31-10 lead, all thoughts were with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

During the third quarter, Tagovailoa ran for a first down and lowered his helmet when about to make contact with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Following the impact with Hamlin's upper body, Tagovailoa's arms went up into a brief fencing response before grabbing his head. Medical personnel rushed onto the field to treat Tagovailoa, while players took knees waiting and hoping the quarterback was okay. Tagovailoa would walk off the field under his own power, but was quickly ruled out with a concussion.

This is the third time that Tagovailoa suffered a concussion since 2022. With that, questions about Tagovailoa's long-term health and playing career began being asked.

During the Amazon Prime postgame show, former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez said that it's time for Tagovailoa to consider retirement.

"It's so sad, guy just got paid," Gonzalez said, h/t USA Today. "It was great to be Tua, and it is great to be Tua. However I'm looking at these concussions," Gonzalez continued, "if I'm him, at this point, I'm seriously considering retiring from football. If that was my son, I would be like, 'It might be time.' This stuff is not what you want to play around with.

"Tua's future, I'm thinking retirement here."

Tony Gonzalez believes Tua Tagovailoa should consider retirement after third concussion since 2022

Gonzalez is far from the only person in the NFL world who thinks Tagovailoa should make his long-term health a priority. Three concussions in two years is concerning.

Back in Week 4 of the 2022 season, Tagovailoa suffered a concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals after hitting the back of his head off the turf. Tagovailoa went into a fencing posture and was placed in the protocol. This came one week after suffering a concussion scare against the Bills. In Week 16, Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion and was ruled out for the rest of the year.

Ahead of last season, Tagovailoa took measures to prevent future head injuries, such as taking Judo lessons. Tagovailoa didn't miss any time to injury throughout the entire 2023 campaign.

On Friday morning, McDaniel revealed that he wasn't putting a timeline on Tagovailoa's return, leaving the decision to doctors. For the time being, Skylar Thompson will start at quarterback for the Dolphins, with the team looking to sign another player as depth for the position.

For now, the NFL world will have to wait to see what is next for Tagovailoa.