Tua Tagovailoa leaves fans in shock as Dolphins star shows up for meet-and-greet with new hairdo - "This looks like a failed A.I"

Tua Tagovailoa seemingly has a new hairstyle, and his fans are still struggling to comprehend it. On Friday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins' star quarterback appeared for a meet-and-greet at a Macy's in Aventura, a Miami suburb located 15 miles north of the city proper.

But instead of his usual buzzcut or dreadlocks, Tua Tagovailoa had curly hair. He had also shaved his beard and mustache.

Fans who failed to recognize Tagovailoa proceeded to mistake him for other people:

"I thought it was Puka wearing a dolphins jersey with another fan," another fan wrote.

Fans continued to be in shock at the Dolphins quarterback's surprising new look.

'Guy posing with Tua looks more like Tua than this "Tua" does,' one claimed.

"QB1 for which team? That ain’t Tua," another said.

"Who is this imposter these fans met?", another's "complaint" went.

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The latest on Tua Tagovailoa's extension decision

This offseason is a crucial one for the Miami Dolphins, as they look to resolve Tua Tagovailoa's future in his contract year.

The situation became rather complicated on Thursday, when the team extended Jaylen Waddle for three years and $84.75 million, keeping him and Tyreek Hill together until at least the end of the 2026 season but also representing money that could have been used on their quarterback instead.

But Rich Eisen believes the extension is happening, saying on his eponymous show on Thursday:

"Folks will wonder if they're crazy to overpay him, but he's the trigger man and we have seen if he can stay upright and stay healthy. He can be an outstanding quarterback, putting the ball where it needs to go to get enough wins to not only make the playoffs, but threaten to win their division."

Meanwhile, former executive and current analyst Michael Lombardi believes that while extending Tagovailoa is a more prudent solution than seeking a high-profile free agent in 2025, the Dolphins need to carefully balance their cap situation before doing so. He said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday:

"Tyreek Hill takes up 12% of the cap. Waddle takes up 8% of the cap. Now that’s 20% of the cap. If I go and pay Tua, you know, 35, 30% of the cap, what do I have left for the rest of my team?”

General manager Chris Grier also spoke about the issue recently:

"I think we're hopeful. When you go through these things... these are deals that very rarely come together quickly. There are a lot of pieces and moving parts. We've had positive discussions so far, and we'll keep working here throughout the offseason."

According to reports, Tagovailoa is seeking at least $50 million annually, comparable to fellow 2020 draftees Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hurts.