Tua Tagovailoa owns the top two selling NFL jerseys right now
Less than a week ago, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa chose the No. 1 jersey to wear.
On Monday, Tagovailoa had the No. 1 — and No. 2 — top-selling jerseys on the NFL’s official merchandise shop.
The top seller was the Dolphins’ “home” jersey in aqua. Next on the list is Tagovailoa’s white “away” jersey. Even ahead of Tom Brady’s and Rob Gronkowski’s new Tampa Bay Buccaneers jerseys, as well as No. 1 pick Joe Burrow’s new Cincinnati Bengals jersey.
Not a bad fit, as the kids say. Here’s a look at the new jerseys:
Reason to celebrate? Whatever the case, Tagovailoa also won some points with a very gracious gift to his mother for Mother’s Day. We can assume she will be rocking the No. 1 jersey whenever Tagovailoa suits up for real.
Tua is a big deal, clearly
The “Tank for Tua” campaign began in earnest for many Dolphins fans last summer when it became clear that the Dolphins were rebuilding, loaded with draft picks and in need of a QB of the future. Some fans even crafted their own Tagovailoa jerseys and wore them to games last season.
Rarely do these things work out so neatly, but the Dolphins ended up with the quarterback most believed they were predestined to land. Now they can buy their own official merchandise and ditch the bootleg versions, if they want.
And beyond the buzz for a Miami squad that finished the 2019 season by winning five out of its final nine games, including a Week 17 upset of the New England Patriots, there’s a fascination over what Tagovailoa might do. Either this season or down the road.
Tagovailoa’s recovery from a hip injury is a big hurdle but the NFL’s offseason shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic also could have an effect on when Tagovailoa is cleared for action.
The Dolphins have Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster, along with Josh Rosen and Jake Rudock, at quarterback. They don’t need to force Tagovailoa into the lineup before he’s ready.
A new look for Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa wore No. 13 in college, but it wasn’t available in Miami. Another decent QB, Dan Marino, made that one pretty famous — so much so that the Dolphins retired the number.
If all goes well for Tagovailoa, No. 1 will be off the board for future Dolphins in about 20 years.
Of course, No. 1 has been worn before by a Dolphins player — several times, in fact. The most infamous example was former Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian, who is best known for his ill-fated throwing attempt/fumble/defensive touchdown in Super Bowl VII following his own blocked field-goal attempt. The ball was scooped up and returned 49 yards for a score by the Redskins’ Mike Bass — their only TD in Miami’s 14-7 victory that day.
Let’s hope Tagovailoa isn’t pressed into emergency kicking duty, and he should be OK on matching his fellow No. 1’s ignominious gaffe.
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