Tua Tagovailoa is approaching an interesting time in his career.
The former 5th overall pick is approaching a season with a new head coach, a true franchise receiver in Tyreek Hill and a ton of doubts in his rearview mirror.
The Miami Dolphins were recently disciplined by the NFL for tampering after news that they attempted to lure Tom Brady to the Dolphins during the 2020 offseason.
This coupled with the Brian Daboll-Brian Flores drama meant that the Dolphins would lose a first-round pick, a third-round pick, incur a $500,000 fine and the suspension of their owner.
In a full-circle moment, the Dolphins held a joint training camp session with Brady’s Buccaneers this week, and Tagovailoa was asked about the interest in Brady from the organization and how he felt the team regarded him as a franchise quarterback.
“Yeah I’m still here,” he replied. “To me, that’s all noise at this point.”
He also expressed that he felt the team was “all-in” on him going into the season.
As for the doubts and negativity surrounding him, Tagovailoa said he pays no attention to it,
“I would say the only thing that gets frustrating is if you hear it every day or if you see it every day,” he said. “For me, I eliminate all of that. Don’t hear it. Don’t see it. I go home, go to my family, study, wake up the next day, come back and enjoy football. I hear everything obviously from the media and then when [the communications staff] preps me for whatever you guys are going to say, then I’m like, ‘Ah, I’ve got to answer this. All right, let me figure out something politically correct to say.'”
As the season approaches, new coach Mike McDaniel said he’s focused on implementing the offense for the season and not on the results of the NFL’s discipline or the organization’s tampering.
“For me, nothing happened. Everyone else is the one making it awkward,” McDaniel said. “It doesn’t occupy a single iota of space with anybody. It’s hard enough to be good in this league. As the Miami Dolphins, all of our energy is very coordinated and only has to do with us getting better and everything else would be an opportunity cost that we’re not willing to expend.”
Brady has yet to say anything on the matter.
