Raiders coach Antonio Pierce explained why he would advise Tua Tagovailoa to walk away from football for good after the Dolphins quarterback suffered another concussionThursday night.

On Friday, Pierce was asked about the scary scene — which unfolded when Tagovailoa lowered his shoulder and was tackled by Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the third quarter of Buffalo’s 31-10 win over Miami — and referenced the quarterback’s concussion history.

Thursday night marked Tagovailoa’s third diagnosed concussion in his NFL career.

“I’ll be honest, I’d tell him to retire,” Pierce, 45, said in his press conference ahead of the Raiders’ matchup with the Ravens on Sunday. “It’s not worth it. It’s not worth it.

“Played the game, I haven’t witnessed anything like I’ve seen that’s happened to him three times. Scary. You can see right away, the players’ faces on the field. You can see the sense of urgency to get Tua help. I just think that at some point, you know, he’s going to live longer than he’s going to play football. Take care of your family.”

It’s rare for an active coach to weigh in on an injury of an opposing player, especially considering Pierce — a Super Bowl champion and former Pro-Bowl linebacker with the Giants — is a former Giants linebacker known for his rugged style.

ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes noted that when she reacted to Pierce’s comments in post on X.

“Boy…this is really something coming from an active (and notoriously tough) head coach,” she wrote.

Pierce is not alone, though.

Former NFL stars, including Tony Gonzalez, called for the 26-year-old Tagovailoa to reconsider playing football for his long-term health after Thursday’s scary scene.

Tagovailoa was ruled out Thursday’s game and diagnosed with a concussion just minutes after he rushed for a first down on fourth-and-4 and was tackled by Hamlin.

Tua Tagovailoa concussion fallout

After the play, Tagovailoa fell to the ground and went into a fencing position, which is a term used to describe a person’s arms going into an unnatural pose.

Players from both teams immediately knelt down on the field as medical staff tended to Tagovailoa for several minutes.

The quarterback was able to walk off of the field and to the locker room under his own power.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa was in “good spirits” when he left Hard Rock Stadium and was going to get medical testing done Friday.

While speaking to local media Friday morning, McDaniel made it clear he would not entertain the subject of Tagovailoa’s playing future — and said the quarterback had not yet gotten further testing and evaluation. 

“I think it would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject, and it’s more in line of actually caring about the human being,” McDaniel said. “You’re talking about his career — his career is his … I just wish that people would for a second hear what I’m saying, that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him.”

McDaniel — who said Tagovailoa was sleeping when he tried to contact him about an hour before addressing the media — emphasized there is no timeline for the quarterback.

“The only two opinions that really matter that are the absolute driving force for what we’re doing at that position: Tua and the doctors,” McDaniel said. “If I am a betting man, I’m guessing that those two people — I don’t see how he would play in the next game.

“I don’t see it, but who am I to know or judge? But I think it’s a fair assessment to be prepared to have three quarterbacks on a roster for the next game, that we’ll need to add one for that game.”

Tagovailoa now will have to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol.

The Dolphins have 10 days until their Week 3 matchup with the Seahawks in Seattle.