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Taulia Tagovailoa made his European League of Football debut for the Hamburg Sea Devils on Saturday. His very first throw went the other way for six.
It was a brutal start to the 25-year-old’s latest professional football venture.
Taulia, the little brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, was rated as a four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2019. He began his career at Alabama alongside his brother and later transferred to Maryland. His time with the Terrapins was a great success.
The 5-foot-11 quarterback broke school records for most completions, highest completion percentage, most passing yards, most passing touchdowns, most total offensive yards in a career, most completions and most touchdowns responsible for in a career, among others. Tagovailoa threw for more than 3,000 yards in three-straight seasons as the starter with 77 total touchdowns in 46 games.
Although he was named as a two-time All-Big Ten player in 2022 and 2023, Taulia Tagovailoa did not get drafted into the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks did not sign him after his tryout at minicamp so he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. That was not great either.
Tagovailoa dressed in only eight games and completed just one pass for six yards with three carries for 10 yards and one touchdown. He was released by the team when training camp opened on May 11, 2025.
Taulia Tagovailoa can’t get it figured out…
Some people might not want to continue with football after being cut by the Canadian Football League. Taulia Tagovialoa is not some people. It was announced 11 days later that he signed with the Sea Devils of the ELF. They are based out of Hamburg, Germany. He made his debut on Saturday.
Unfortunately, the first pass attempt of his European career was picked off and returned for a touchdown. His very first throw as the starting quarterback of the Sea Devils was a pick-six. Oof.
Simiram-Wilson picks off Tagovailoa on his first ELF career pass for 6! 🤯
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) May 31, 2025
📲 Tune into #SRGatHSD now. https://t.co/T65mQYDUwg pic.twitter.com/E8fGBIbsSx
Hamburg went into the locker room down 33-0 at halftime. Tagovailoa completed just one of his nine pass attempts to his own team and one to the defense.
To be fair, the offensive line did not do him any favors. They allowed three sacks and struggled with protection but it is clear that their new signal-caller will also need some time to adjust. 1-9 for 34 yards with a pick-six was not the first half he had hoped. That won’t get him back to the NFL any time soon.