Tua Tagovailoa has until Jan. 20 to declare whether he will enter the 2020 NFL Draft. The injured Alabama quarterback doesn’t yet know whether he will return for his senior season, but if he is still expected to be selected with one of the first 10 to 15 picks, it’s likely that last year’s Heisman runner-up has played his last game with the Crimson Tide.
“That would be tough to pass up,” Tagovailoa said while meeting with the media in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Thursday.
Tagovailoa, who was walking on crutches after suffering a season-ending hip injury, gave a more in-depth answer to ESPN on Tuesday. Prior to suffering the injury less than a month ago, the southpaw was considered a potential No. 1 overall pick.
“When I kinda look at it, if I come back, the risk is what if I get hurt again? But the reward could be maybe I jump back to the top of the charts, or the boards for all these teams,” Tagovailoa said. “Now, you look at the other side of the spectrum if I leave. All the risk is do I still go in the first round or do I even make it to the second round? And these guys don’t even know if I can play with the hip injury yet, too. And then, I’d say the reward in all that is yeah, I’ll be getting paid millions but a lot of the money I could have made you can’t make that money up now. That’d be me leaving money on the table.”
Tagovailoa said doctors have told him he’d have no limitations when he returns from the injury. The quarterback called comparisons to Bo Jackson’s career-ending hip injury “two totally different situations,” but Tagovailoa said he’s spoken with Auburn’s former Heisman winner about the injury.
“He gave me some insight on not trying to rush the process to get back,” Tagovailoa said.