# Tua Tagovailoa
**Tua Tagovailoa** (full name Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa, nicknamed "The Samoan Sniper"; born 1998 in Ewa Beach, Hawaii) is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) quarterback who played six seasons for the [Miami Dolphins](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-dolphins) before being released in March 2026 and signing with the [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-falcons). He throws left-handed, a rarity among NFL quarterbacks, and was selected fifth overall by Miami in the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TagoTu00.htm)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1998, Ewa Beach, Hawaii; 6 ft 1 in, 225 lb (185 cm, 102 kg)[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TagoTu00.htm) |
| Draft | Miami Dolphins, 1st round, 5th overall, 2020 NFL Draft, from Alabama[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TagoTu00.htm) |
| Miami career | 78 games, 76 starts, 68.0% completions, 18,166 passing yards, 120 touchdowns, 44-32 as a starter[2](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa) |
| League leads | NFL passer rating (105.5) in 2022, passing yards (4,624) in 2023, completion percentage (72.9) in 2024; Pro Bowl 2023[2](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa) |
| Franchise records | Dolphins career completion percentage (68.0), single-season completion percentage (72.9, 2024), career passer rating (96.4)[2](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa) |
| Contract | $212.4 million extension signed in the 2024 offseason; released March 2026 with a roughly $99 million dead-cap charge, an NFL record[3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback) |
| Current team | Atlanta Falcons (2026)[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/tua-tagovailoa/stats/career) |
## College career at Alabama
Tagovailoa played at Alabama from 2017 to 2019. As a freshman backup, his defining moment came in the second half of the 2017 national championship game against Georgia, which Alabama won.[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/01/06/nfl/1578349677_146389.html) He took over as the starter in 2018 and won the Maxwell Award as college football's most outstanding player while leading Alabama to its 27th [Southeastern Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southeastern-conference) championship and a fifth straight [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) appearance; he finished second in the 2018 [Heisman Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/heisman-trophy) voting.[6](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/7/28/2025_Record_Book.pdf) • [7](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tua-tagovailoa-1.html)
His 2018 season included 3,353 passing yards and a school-record 37 touchdown passes against four interceptions.[8](https://rolltide.com/news/2018/12/3/football-alabamas-tua-tagovailoa-a-finalist-for-the-heisman-trophy) In 2019 he was on a record-setting pace before a hip injury at Mississippi State cut his season short.[6](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/7/28/2025_Record_Book.pdf) Across his Alabama career he threw for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns.[5](https://as.com/us/us/2020/01/06/nfl/1578349677_146389.html)
## Miami Dolphins (2020-2025)
Miami made Tagovailoa the fifth pick of the 2020 draft, the first selection the Dolphins made that year, and he became the first left-handed NFL quarterback since [Kellen Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/kellen-moore) retired after the 2017 season.[9](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/tua-tagovailoa-nfl-draft-quarterback-alabama) • [10](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/05/left-handed-nfl-quarterback-tua-tagovailoa) As a rookie he won each of his first three starts, the first Dolphins quarterback to do so.[11](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/patriots/n5imh6btabg6swkrkqez.pdf)
**Peak seasons.** In 2022, Tagovailoa became the youngest NFL quarterback to lead the league in passer rating (105.5) since [Dan Marino](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-marino) in 1984, and he also led the NFL in red-zone passer rating (112.2) and third-down passer rating (130.1).[12](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/tagovailoa-contract-extension) In 2023 he started all 17 games, completed 388 of 560 passes (69.3%) for an NFL-best 4,624 yards with 29 touchdowns, earned [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) honors, and became the first Dolphins player since Marino in 1992 to lead the league in passing.[12](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/tagovailoa-contract-extension) • [13](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/players-roster/tua-tagovailoa/) In 2024 he set the franchise single-season completion record at 72.9%.[2](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa) Under head coach [Mike McDaniel](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-mcdaniel), Miami reached the playoffs in two straight seasons (2022 and 2023), though Tagovailoa started only one postseason game, a 2023 loss.[3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback) • [14](https://media.miamidolphins.com/wp-content/uploads/Tagovailoa-Tua-85.pdf)
**Concussions.** Tagovailoa was diagnosed with two concussions in 2022, the second of which briefly knocked him unconscious, and he suffered a third hard hit to the head that season that was not diagnosed as a concussion.[15](https://apnews.com/article/74700c31914fe915ff9d423b15ae8881) The incident in which he returned to a game against the Bills after a hit prompted an NFL and NFLPA investigation and led the league to add "abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech" to the symptoms that prohibit a player from returning to a game.[16](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/09/tua-tagovailoa-nfl-concussions/679933/) In 2024 he was diagnosed with a third concussion in two years and missed six games that season with a concussion and a hip injury.[15](https://apnews.com/article/74700c31914fe915ff9d423b15ae8881) • [3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback)
**Contract and release.** In July 2024, Miami signed Tagovailoa to an extension through the 2028 season, making him the highest-paid player in franchise history at $212.4 million.[12](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/tagovailoa-contract-extension) • [3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback) The deal drew criticism as his concussion history continued. On March 9, 2026, under new head coach [Jeff Hafley](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-hafley) and general manager [Jon-Eric Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-eric-sullivan), the Dolphins announced his release with a post-June 1 designation.[2](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa) • [3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback) The move left Miami with a dead-cap charge of roughly $99 million split over two seasons, an NFL record, and the team still owed him $54 million for the 2026 season.[3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback)
## Atlanta Falcons
Tagovailoa signed with the Atlanta Falcons for the 2026 season and appeared in one game, completing 2 of 3 passes for 34 yards with one interception.[4](https://www.nfl.com/players/tua-tagovailoa/stats/career)
## Playing style and left-handedness
Tagovailoa is a left-handed pocket passer, which is uncommon in the NFL: of the 107 quarterbacks on NFL rosters when he was drafted, all were right-handed.[10](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/05/left-handed-nfl-quarterback-tua-tagovailoa) He was born right-handed and still writes, eats, and swings a golf club right-handed; his left-handed father, Galu, put the ball in his left hand as a toddler so he would not be the only lefty in the family, and the habit stuck.[10](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/05/left-handed-nfl-quarterback-tua-tagovailoa) Left-handed quarterbacks require receivers to adjust to passes that spin differently, coaches to flip plays, and offensive lines to protect the opposite blindside.[10](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/05/left-handed-nfl-quarterback-tua-tagovailoa) Scouting reports before the draft described him as an accurate, technical passer with a strong feel for the pocket rather than a run-pass option style quarterback.[17](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/sis-rookie-football-handbook-preview-tua-tagovailoa/)
## Off the field
Tagovailoa established the Tua Foundation in 2021, dedicated to supporting youth initiatives, health and wellness, and other charitable causes.[18](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/MIA.pdf) He was a four-time Dolphins team captain (2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025), won the team's 2022 Don Shula Leadership Award, and was an Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award finalist in 2024.[2](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa) His brother [Taulia Tagovailoa](https://www.edgepedia.org/taulia-tagovailoa) also played quarterback, and his cousin Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa played in the NFL.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TagoTu00.htm)
## References
1. [Tua Tagovailoa Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TagoTu00.htm)
2. [Dolphins release Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (March 12, 2026)](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-release-tagovailoa)
3. [Dolphins' QB swap: Tagovailoa out, Malik Willis in, Axios Miami (March 9, 2026)](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/03/09/dolphins-tagovailoa-malik-willis-new-quarterback)
4. [Tua Tagovailoa Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/tua-tagovailoa/stats/career)
5. [Tua Tagovailoa anuncia que participará en el NFL Draft 2020, AS.com (January 6, 2020)](https://as.com/us/us/2020/01/06/nfl/1578349677_146389.html)
6. [2025 Alabama Football Record Book, rolltide.com](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/7/28/2025_Record_Book.pdf)
7. [Tua Tagovailoa College Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tua-tagovailoa-1.html)
8. [Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa a Finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Alabama Athletics (December 3, 2018)](https://rolltide.com/news/2018/12/3/football-alabamas-tua-tagovailoa-a-finalist-for-the-heisman-trophy)
9. [2020 NFL Draft: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, Miami Dolphins](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/tua-tagovailoa-nfl-draft-quarterback-alabama)
10. [Tua Tagovailoa will be the first left-handed NFL quarterback since 2017, Axios (March 5, 2020)](https://www.axios.com/2020/03/05/left-handed-nfl-quarterback-tua-tagovailoa)
11. [New England Patriots game notes on Tagovailoa](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/patriots/n5imh6btabg6swkrkqez.pdf)
12. [Miami Dolphins Sign Tagovailoa to Contract Extension (July 28, 2024)](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/tagovailoa-contract-extension)
13. [Tua Tagovailoa biography, Atlanta Falcons](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/players-roster/tua-tagovailoa/)
14. [Miami Dolphins Weekly Release, Tagovailoa playoff stats](https://media.miamidolphins.com/wp-content/uploads/Tagovailoa-Tua-85.pdf)
15. [tua tagovailoa practices for the first time since suffering a concussion in week 2](https://apnews.com/article/74700c31914fe915ff9d423b15ae8881)
16. [Football Won't Save Tua Tagovailoa From Himself, The Atlantic (September 2024)](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/09/tua-tagovailoa-nfl-concussions/679933/)
17. [SIS Rookie Football Handbook Preview: Tua Tagovailoa, Sharp Football Analysis](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/sis-rookie-football-handbook-preview-tua-tagovailoa/)
18. [2025 Miami Dolphins Media Guide](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/MIA.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks › 2010s quarterbacks › Quarterbacks entering the NFL 2016–2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license