Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions during the 2022 season haven’t given the Miami Dolphins second thoughts about proceeding with the Alabama All-American as their quarterback, the NFL team’s general manager said.

“I would say with Tua, he’s our starting quarterback,” Chris Grier said at a season-ending press conference on Monday. “I don’t know how we could say it any more clearly. We’ve been that way through this season and what he’s done and what (coach) Mike (McDaniel) and Tua, (quarterbacks coach Darrell) Bevell, (assistant quarterbacks coach) Chandler (Henley), the coaching staff have all done. They’ve all worked tremendously hard, all of them together.

“So Tua, we anticipate him, working with and talking with the doctors and consultants and everyone we dealt with, we fully expect him back next year 100 percent ready to go, and then we’ll get through all those decisions, like I said, just like we talk about every player on the roster. Obviously, I understand because it’s Tua, and that’s why the question is being asked. We’ll go through our process, but he is our starting quarterback and will be next season.”

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Tagovailoa missed the Dolphins’ final three games of the season – two to close the regular season and Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC playoffs – after entering the NFL’s concussion protocol on Dec. 26, the day after a 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers that featured the quarterback throwing three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Tagovailoa also missed two games after leaving in the first half of a 27-15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29 with a concussion.

Grier was asked if the Dolphins were concerned that Tagovailoa might be “susceptible” to concussions after being sidelined by two in one season.

“I think from what our doctors and the consultants we’ve talked to through the (NFL Players Association), that is not a true statement,” Grier said. “So for us, I don’t think he’s any more prone than anyone else, so for us, we’re just going through and letting the doctors and the medical staff and the people in that field, like you said, that know a lot more. But from everything we’ve been told, that is not a concern.”

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As a first-round choice in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa signed a four-year deal that included a team option for a fifth season. The deadline for the Dolphins to pick up their option for the 2024 season is May 1.

If Miami uses its option, the Dolphins would be obligated to pay Tagovailoa a projected $22.426 million for the 2024 season before he ever takes a snap in 2023.

While Grier was positive about the 2023 season for Tagovailoa, he didn’t make any guarantees about the fifth-year option for 2024.

“We’ll have discussions and talk through it,” Grier said, “just like we’ll have discussions with (defensive lineman) Christian Wilkins and all these other guys that are coming up here.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.