It was the moment Miami had been patiently waiting for.

Tua Tagovailoa, wearing a sleeveless hoodie that showed off his freshly tattooed left arm, announced his return to football while instilling a sense of hope among Dolphins fans.

“I appreciate your concern, I really do,” Tagovailoa said in his first news conference since suffering a head injury on Sept. 12. “I love this game, and I love it to death.”

At times, Tagovailoa appeared frustrated by the nature of the questioning about his injury history, not wanting to become the face of concussions. He confirmed that his symptoms had disappeared since the day after the concussion. He said he would not wear a protective cap for personal reasons. And he said retirement was never on the agenda.

“This is just becoming a thing just because of what happened to me in sports two years ago,” Tagovailoa said, referring to his two concussions in 2022. “I hate that it happened, but we’ll see “Don't look at it.” Boxers from the same perspective, we don't look at hockey players the same way, but I just think it's becoming a problem because of what's going on and the magnitude of it here in the league.”

Tagovailoa's return will end the quarterback carousel that has existed since he suffered a concussion in the third quarter of a Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins placed him on injured reserve within days of his head injury and effectively sidelined him for four games. Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley — the quarterbacks who tried to replace him — went 1-3 over the next three games, putting the Dolphins' season in jeopardy.

“There were some challenging situations,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “There was something I was happy with in terms of giving other players a chance to do their job and play good football, but overall I would say there were quite a number of times when the overall game wasn’t good enough.”

With Tagovailoa at the helm of the offense, the hope is that the high expectations that existed in the preseason have a chance to come true. However, Tagovailoa does not see himself as a savior.

“I don’t think I’m putting any pressure on myself to come back and save the team,” Tagovailoa said. “I think what we need to do is look at the past game, all 11 players on the field, whether we had the opportunity to score on every drive with the plays that were called. If we can say yes, we can look at ourselves and see what we can do to be better in the future.”

Tagovailoa admitted he was a little frustrated at being sidelined, but he found a way to make an impact as a leader. McDaniel even praised the quarterback for his commitment to the team despite his personal issues.

“He's really shown his maturity, which is constantly evolving, and I think he's found a way to gain even more leadership skills just by investing in his teammates when he can't play,” McDaniel said, later adding adding that he “makes sure.” His teammates know he's there with them, keeping an eye on all the things that are going on on offense and talking to each position group about certain things that he feels aren't up to par , be it a Monday film, whether I did an exam or a Wednesday training session, he never took a day off.”

Tagovailoa added: “It's just frustrating that other than trying to work out and talk to the guys, I couldn't have helped in any way. “It was a different kind of leadership with our guys.”

The offense that coach Mike McDaniel tailored to Tagovailoa's strengths never looked quite right without the former Alabama star. True, injuries to Thompson and Huntley likely played a role in the tough losses to the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts, both of whom were hitting .500 or less at the time of the game. But the gap between Tagovailoa and the next man up seemed even greater Sunday after Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for two catches for 19 yards in a 16-10 loss to the Colts.

Tagovailoa, who met with several neurological experts across the country and team doctors after his most recent head injury, has suffered at least four documented concussions since college. Although he still has to go through the NFL concussion protocol, Tagovailoa claimed that doctors confirmed his football career would not result in long-term brain damage. If Tagovailoa suffers a second concussion, he could miss the rest of the season, which was the case in 2022. However, he is comfortable with everything the game brings him.

“Everything I think of does involves risk,” Tagovailoa said, seemingly suggesting that even driving to work poses a risk. “Every time we all get dressed, we all run the risk that we could potentially get injured, whether it be a concussion, a broken bone or something like that. If you get up from bed incorrectly, you risk spraining your ankle. There’s a risk in everything and everyone, and I’m willing to take the risk.”

After leading the league in passing yards in 2023, the Dolphins rewarded Tagovailoa with a five-year, $212 million contract early in the preseason. Through about seven quarters in 2024, Tagovailoa has completed about 65% of his passes for nearly 500 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.