Tua Tagovailoa has undergone quite the physical transformation so far this off-season. After bulking up before the 2023 campaign, the Miami Dolphins quarterback has looked noticeably slimmer during the team’s off-season workout program, which has drawn plenty of eyes to the already-polarizing Tagovailoa.
The fans and media weren’t alone in their discussion of Tagovailoa’s weight loss, as his teammates got in on the action, too.
Dolphins Teammates Take Jabs At Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa said he lost weight to be more nimble, extend plays. Teammates had jokes:
Tyreek Hill: “I saw Tua at Pro Bowl I was kinda scared. He was fat as shit…How skinny he got, what’s the stuff everybody is taking, Ozempic?”
Jaylen Waddle: “I told him I miss chubby Tua” pic.twitter.com/INeOqczmS5
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 4, 2024
Tyreek Hill met with reporters after one of the Dolphins practice sessions on Tuesday, and discussed various topics, including his contract situation. One of the questions asked was regarding Tagovailoa’s physical transformation, and the outspoken wide receiver had the following to say:
I’m not gonna lie. When I saw Tua at the Pro Bowl, I was kinda scared. He was fat as sh*t…What’s that stuff that everybody taking? Ozempic? He had to been taking that.
Hill wasn’t the only Dolphins player to comment on the change while taking a not-so-subtle shot at Tagovailoa. Perhaps interestingly, it was another wide receiver, Jaylen Waddle, who was the other one to make headline-grabbing quote:
I told him, ‘I miss chubby Tua, man…I didn’t like it when I seen it…Eat some more or somethin’, man.
While the quotes appear to be harsh, both were said with laughter and smiles, and there doesn’t appear to be any team chemistry issue with what could again be one of the best offenses in the NFL this coming season.
Tagovailoa In The Middle Of Contract Talks
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa said there’s been a lot of progress on his contract negotiations with the team — he’s confident that a deal will get done before the season.
Said he’s not frustrated, but he’s “another word”
“Just want to get something done. That’s it.” pic.twitter.com/yaizfs1JwI
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) June 4, 2024
Tagovailoa is in the midst of a contract negotiation with the Dolphins, and sat out of the 11-on-11 drills that Miami ran in their off-season mini-camp. There is plenty of discussion about what the price range for his services should be, but it is likely that he is asking for money somewhere in the range of what Jared Goff received earlier in the off-season ($53 million per year).
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards during the 2023 season, and was the quarterback for what was the league’s most high-powered offense during the early part of the season. But in typical Miami Dolphins fashion, the team came up short in December and the postseason, and will look to change their fortunes during the upcoming campaign.
