Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is still in concussion protocol after Week 16 injury, will miss Pro Bowl

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, more than a month after he last entered, is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Tagovailoa will skip the Pro Bowl Games next week and is still recovering from his latest concussion, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. Tagovailoa, who last entered protocols on Dec. 26, has reportedly been "deliberate" with his time in protocol while meeting with several different doctors. While he has been in protocols for more than a month, there reportedly have not been any setbacks in his recovery.

Tagovailoa was named the first-alternate to the Pro Bowl this year, and was going to replace either Joe Burrow or Patrick Mahomes in the game in the AFC — as one of those two quarterbacks will be playing in Super Bowl LVII.

Tagovailoa had several concussion issues this past season, most notably in Week 4. Tagovailoa was hit hard in that game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and had to leave the field on a stretcher after a terrifying scene. That concussion — which kept Tagovailoa out for two games, prompted a change in the league's concussion protocols and led to the firing of a doctor involved in clearing Tagovailoa to return — came on the heels of an injury the week before when his head bounced off the turf against the Buffalo Bills.

Tagovailioa then sustained another head injury against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. He entered protocols after that game, and did not play again for the rest of the season.

Plenty in and around the league called for Tagovailoa to sit out the rest of the season, if not retire early, due to his repeated concussions.

Tagovailoa threw for a career-high 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns in 13 games this season, his third with the Dolphins. He will enter the final year of his initial four-year, $30 million deal next fall.