During a press conference on Friday, Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will retire after suffering his third concussion in as many seasons.

Tagovailoa left Miami’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night after a blow to the helmet led to a fencing reaction — a term used to describe when one’s arms end up in an unnatural position — for the fifth-year quarterback. He was able to leave the field under his own power and was immediately placed in concussion protocol. Tagovailoa will miss five games during the 2022 season with two more diagnosed concussions and a third blow to the head, leading the NFL to change its concussion policy.

When asked to comment on Tagovailoa’s recent injury, Pierce, who played nine seasons in the NFL, suggested that Tagovailoa should prioritize his health and family.

“I’ll be honest with you, I would tell him to retire. It’s not worth it,” Pierce said. “In the game, I’ve never seen anything like what happened to him three times. Scary — you could see it right away; the faces of the players on the field. You could see the sense of urgency from everybody to help Tua. I just think at some point — he’s going to live longer than he’s going to play football. Take care of your family.”

Pierce wasn’t the only NFL coach to weigh in on the matter on Friday.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson, whose team played the Dolphins in Week 1, said he doesn’t know the full situation but stressed that player health should take priority in these types of scenarios.

“If it was one of our guys, you’ve got to be very careful and do the right thing for the player. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Pederson said. “It’s a part of the game that we’re obviously trying to remove, I just don’t know if we can completely remove it because of the nature of these hits. I think you just have to continue to think about the player and the health and safety of the player and make sure they’re 1,000 percent healthy. Those are just decisions that I think you have to consider as a player personally when you think about your career.

“Everyone wants to play and they love this game so much and they give so much to it that when something like this happens, it kind of sets in the reality and shows the human side of our sport.”

Pederson is also a retired NFL veteran, playing for seven seasons before retiring in 2004.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel spoke to the media Friday morning and said he is not focused on Tagovailoa returning to football. As his quarterback walked off the field Thursday night, McDaniel told Tagovailoa to focus on his family for the time being.

McDaniel also implored fans and media to give Tagovailoa time to focus on his health before discussing the possibility of his return or retirement.

“You’re talking about his career — his career is his,” he said. “I just wanted people to hear what I’m saying, that it’s not in his best interest to bring up his future. So I’m going to plead with anyone who really cares that that’s the last thing on your mind.”

McDaniel didn’t appear to be responding to anyone in particular; he spoke before Pederson or Pierce made their comments. He said he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in next week’s Dolphins game against the Seattle Seahawks, but added that the only opinions that matter are Tagovailoa’s and those of a doctor evaluating him.