Tagovailoa has endured one roller-coaster start to his own career.
He joined the Fins as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft and entered his rookie season as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup. He ended up starting nine games after leapfrogging the veteran on the depth chart in November, but failed to gain the full support of then-coach Brian Flores and was benched in the fourth quarter for multiple games.
He threw for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 23 games over his first two seasons, both of which the Dolphins finished with winning records but failed to make the playoffs.
The switch from Flores to McDaniel in 2022 opened up Tagovailoa’s and Miami’s offense as a whole, leading to two straight playoff campaigns and culminating in the Dolphins’ second-ranked passing offense in 2023. Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 yards and made his only Pro Bowl appearance that season, following a four-year extension to the Pro Bowl that season. the fourth highest paid player. At the time of his release, his $53.1 million average salary ranked sixth.
Miami never advanced beyond the Wild Card round in its two Finals appearances, and the last two seasons since the extension have been defined by diminishing returns. The Dolphins finished third-bottom in scoring in both 2024 and 2025 but missed the postseason. Injuries also continued to pile up for Tagovailoa – mostly concussions.
He suffered two in 2022, but in 2024 he spent four games on injured reserve after suffering yet another concussion. He missed the last two games of that season with a hip injury.
Although he was healthy for the 2025 campaign, his performance declined. No longer recognized like he did in his first year under McDaniel, when he enjoyed a league-leading 8.9 yards per attempt, his final season with the coach saw his yards per attempt average 6.9. He finished second in the league with 15 interceptions, possibly saved by being on the bench from leading the division.