Tua Tagovailoa couldn't have drawn up a worse start to the season than he had on Sunday for the Miami Dolphins.
He was throwing the ball to the Indianapolis Colts, or to no one, and it just was an ugly showing right from the start of the game.
It invited lots of amusing interactions on social media.
There were memes circulating, including the amusing Tua Turndaballova play on his last name. And there were questions about his contract.
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What is Tua Tagovailoa's contract?
Tua Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension in the summer of 2024.
He's in the first of the four years of that actual extension, and he's earning $25 million in base salary for the 2025 season.
Tua is due to make $39 million in base salary in 2026, then $31 million in 2027 and $41.4 million in 2028.
There's an out in his contract before the 2027 season that would result in $34.8 million in dead money.
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Tua Tagovailoa meme, Turndaballova
Tua had a lot of Dolphins fans hating on him on Sunday.
There's a satirical account on X (formerly Twitter) with the name Tua Turndaballova, making some wordplay on his lengthy last name.
And that was a popular refrain among random Dolphins watchers on Sunday.
New season same Tua Turndaballova
— Rene Higuita (@EddieCheeba) September 7, 2025
The Dolphins clearly didn't want this.
Eyes will be watching closely to see what comes next in Miami.
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