Armando Salguero | OutKick Senior Writer

Armando Salguero does a great job covering the NFL for Al Kick and he's done so for a long time and he's kind enough to join us right now as we talk about Tuatunga Vailoa unfortunately suffering another concussion in the Bills victory last night up against the Miami Dolphins. Armando, appreciate the time as always. Thanks so much for it and how are you? I'm doing great Zach. Every time someone says he's covered the NFL for a long time that is code for this is the old guy coming on the show.

Well-respected veteran writer is how I would refer to you Armando. So you know you've seen the NFL change a lot throughout the years. We know how big of a topic of conversation players safety and concussions have been. With Tua it's different with quarterbacks than any other quarterbacks in the league with all the concussions that we've seen him suffer unfortunately in 2022.

I know he got through last year but to see what happened last night just how did you process that one unfortunately? Yeah dude when you see both teams gather around a player and kneel and start to pray there's a reason for that. They're aware of the history. They're aware of the seriousness.

They obviously are seeing it right up in their face and up close. It's never good when you see a player go into the you know kind of the planking concussion motion type of thing and when it's a player who has had like Tua has had two previous documented concussions possibly three because he got knocked out of a game against the Bills by Matt Milano and it wasn't even. They said it was a back which no one believes right. Correct. So this would be either his third or his fourth since 2022 and we're at the point where the last one cost them the end of the 22 season and the playoffs. This one is already going to cost them at least the next game for the Dolphins and probably almost definitely more games than that. If not a career decision on his part.

Yeah. And I watch what we saw last night and it brings you back to all those times. Unfortunately we saw to suffer concussions in 2022 and you've done this long enough.

I've done this as well. You know if you leave it in the hands of the player ninety nine point nine percent of the time they're going to keep on playing and we'll see if to it does that. But personally I hope that he just goes home and he retires and we don't see him again because man it was scary what we had to see once again last night. And you think about the player right. So you share the opinion of Raiders coach Antonio Pierce who today at his press conference said to a needs to retire. Interestingly Mike McDaniel the Dolphins coach is saying I'm not going to give an opinion on this because anything that I say is going to be pressure on to to go one way or the other.

And I don't need him feeling that particularly right now when he's trying to get over symptoms. So that's kind of the far away from the moment type of opinion and the in the moment type of opinion obviously. The two of family will be involved. They were involved in his decision to continue to play the last time his mother told him to retire and he still decided to continue to play. I would say to you there is a different dynamic at play now. The last time he was on his rookie contract he just signed a huge contract that basically sets his family up for life.

It's generational wealth. And so, you know, if he were of the mind to, you know, stop playing. He's going to be fine, at least financially and ultimately, that's a decision that's up to him, but it's a big decision when you've got a newborn and a wife that he married a year and a half ago.

We have two more rounds of Salguero here with us. So I did not know that his mother last time wanted him to retire. I always thought he was going to return when the 2022 season happened. Was he actually like really close to maybe listening to mom and actually retired and ended the career after the 2022 season?

He has talked openly about the idea of it was a family discussion and I listened to all sides and he waited out and then obviously it's his decision, right? And so he made the decision to come back and continue playing with the caveat that he was going to do some things to avoid the very thing that happened last night. You know, he took jujitsu lessons so that he would learn how to fall. He gained weight.

This year he lost weight. It's been an ongoing process for him to try to figure out what is the best way to position himself to where last night doesn't happen. And yet here we are a day later and in the same spot. Yeah, and it was an an ominous feel last night, especially on, you know, with the Mar Hamlin being involved in the play and we know his history as well. But it just once again shows you you could try to protect players, right?

Change the rules of the game, right? To it could do all these things off the field. Let's like that wasn't even a bad hit last night. Like that was the scary part to me is we saw the fencing mechanism position pop back up once again with two in his hands. And it wasn't even that bad of a hit.

So I don't even know where he goes from here to be honest with you, Armando. Yeah, the Mar Hamlin, who obviously we've seen in a terrible situation on the field a couple of years ago as well. It really hit the point of contact for the Mar Hamlin was are that's what hit to his helmet.

And, of course, you see what happens in the aftermath. And there are people that are saying, well, he should have slid. Let's let's be honest in the heat of the moment in the heat of the quote unquote battle. Some guys are just not going to do that. And some guys are not of the mind to do that. And obviously to was not either in position or of the mind. And you know this, too, if he did slide and let's say he didn't get the first down, people would have been crushing him for sliding too early. You know, so it's you can't win in that situation. Yeah.

You know, it's funny that. The reaction from the Dolphins has has been it's not about wins and losses. It's not about how this affects our season. It's not about can we salvage what we saw last night. It's about we hope to as well and gets well.

And, you know, I guess that's that's that's something that you applaud. But there will come a moment when fans who you mentioned can be somewhat vicious at times because it is football. They will say, yeah, but what about winning some games and who are you going to bring in next? And when you get to that conversation right right away, when I watch it last night and you see the aftermath of you think, OK, where can the Dolphins go? We know Stephen Ross history with Tom Brady. We know Ryan Tannehill's history with the organization. If they go outside the organization, Tannehill, probably the most likely they're like, I don't think Brady's coming back. I don't think we are. I don't think the the talk were there be a talk with Brady would be very convincing to Tom Brady.

It would be something like, Tom, we've tampered with you twice already. We got destroyed for doing so by the NFL. But having said that, would you quit your three hundred and seventy five million dollar job? At least temporarily and punting NFL potential ownership to write, you know, and and put off your owner, your minority ownership of the Raiders and come and play behind an offensive line that's not very good. And on a team that even players last night were admitting the bills are in our head.

So not mentally tough. But can you do that for us, Tom? I don't know that that would be all that convincing for Tom Brady. How about Tannehill? He needs a job. Yeah, he does.

And I guess it's it's it's a possibility. I don't see him as much of a system fit, to be very frank with you. That is a quick read.

Be very accurate pinpoint pass type of system. And Ryan is not exactly that. And much less at thirty six or thirty seven years old, whatever he is. There is a quarterback in the NFL right now that if the Dolphins were of the mind to salvage the season, they could try and trade for him. And he's played in the McDaniel slash Shanahan system. And he went to the Super Bowl in that system with McDaniel and Shannon. And he's not a great answer.

There are no great answers at this point, but his name is Jimmy Garoppolo. And you know what? I have not thought of that yet. That would make a lot of sense. That's why you're the veteran NFL writer, Armando Salguro. You give us takes that most people don't even see coming. Yeah, I pulled that one out of some nether region. I don't know where.

But again, I don't see that as the you know, the prime directive. I don't see that as the number one option on the table. First of all, I don't even know that the Rams would make Jimmy Garoppolo available. He's just come off of suspension. He's Armando Salguro, does a great job covering the NFL for outkick Armando. Thanks so much for giving us a few minutes today. We appreciate it. Pleasure, Zach.