Miami Dolphins Hall of Famer Dan Marino threw his support behind quarterback Tua Tagovailoa but added that the team must find a way to keep Tagovailoa healthy.
Marino confirmed Friday what the Dolphins told the world when they gave Tagovailoa a four-year, $212.1 million extension last summer: He is their franchise quarterback.
However, Marino said in an interview on "The Pat McAfee Show," availability issues could derail Tagovailoa's progress.
"I thought we had a very good football team until we started getting injuries, especially at the end of the year," said Marino, who serves as a special adviser to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. "Tua is our quarterback, he's going to be our quarterback, but we need to find a way to just keep him healthy, especially at the end of the year when you have to win games to get in the playoffs ... That's I think where the focus is going to be."
Tagovailoa missed a career-high six games last season: four with a concussion and the final two games of the season with an undisclosed hip injury. While Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel had declined to specify on the second injury, Marino described it as a hip pointer.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier called it a "very unique injury" and expressed "no concern at all" for any long-term effects. While Grier and the Dolphins remain "very confident" in Tagovailoa, the general manager admitted that the quarterback must do a better job remaining on the field.
"He needs to be available. He needs to know how to protect himself," Grier said last month. "You're going to get hit at times, it's always going to happen, but he needs to control what he can control. He understands that. Not being available for taking chances and risk is unacceptable to us, and he knows that."
Despite missing six games, Tagovailoa led the NFL with a career-high 72.9% completion rate in 2024. He threw for 2,867 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
In his final comments of the season on Jan. 3, Tagovailoa said his availability will be addressed this offseason and that his growing number of missed games has become a point of frustration.
Tagovailoa missed four games in 2021 with broken ribs and a broken finger and four games in 2022 with multiple concussions. He played all 18 games (including playoffs) for the Dolphins in 2023, when he led the NFL in passing yards.
"I think the biggest thing, and it has been my thing since last year," he said. "Obviously, the concussions have been a thing, and then just off of that, other injuries that have stacked up with the concussions to where I'm missing games. It's frustrating. That's the frustrating part, and I think that's something to take into consideration for myself, for the team and just moving forward to stay available for more than one season, that's for sure."