Tua Tagovailoa on Dolphins' Interest in Tom Brady: 'That's All Noise at This Point'

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa isn't overtly concerned that his team approached Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Tom Brady about joining the Fins while the ex-Alabama star was still at the helm.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm still here," he told reporters Wednesday, per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. "To me, that's all noise at this point."

Tagovailoa, who previously told reporters that he believes Miami is "all in" on him running the show, is entering his third NFL season. He completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 16 touchdowns (10 interceptions) and 2,653 yards in 13 games last year.

The NFL discovered that the Dolphins violated the league's anti-tampering policy three times from 2019 to 2022, with two of those occurring in talks with Brady, per Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. They had "impermissible communications" as early as August 2019 and through the 2019 playoffs while he played for the New England Patriots.

Brady became a free agent in the 2020 offseason and signed with the Bucs. The Dolphins were found to have spoken with him while he was with Tampa Bay about two years later.

The Fins spoke with Brady and his agent, Don Yee, "no later than early December 2021" but again after the Bucs' season ended in January, when he was still under contract with the team.

"Those discussions focused on Brady becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins and possibly serving as a football executive, although at times they also included the possibility he would play for the Dolphins," Maaddi wrote.

Owner Stephen Ross, who took part in those talks, was suspended and fined $1.5 million. Dolphins vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal was fined $500,000 and may not participate in any league meetings.

Brady ended up briefly retiring before returning to the Bucs. Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, will start for a Dolphins team that welcomed new offensive talent such as wideout Tyreek Hill and running back Chase Edmonds. They open the season on Sept. 11 against the New England Patriots.