Atlanta Falcons, Kirk Cousins, Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa
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Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.
The quarterback room will look a little bit different once again for the Atlanta Falcons in 2026. With Kirk Cousins now gone, it’s Michael Penix Jr. left to compete with free agent Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa comes to Atlanta after being released by the Miami Dolphins, who in turn are still paying his $54 million salary for the season. That gave the Falcons leeway to sign Tagovailoa to the league minimum.
Now the quarterback competition enters a whole new level of intrigue heading into the 2026 season that has plenty of narratives attached to it.
But on Friday, March 13, Falcons new general manager Ian Cunningham made it clear what the team’s intentions are with both Penix and Tagovailoa moving forward.
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Cunningham spoke with the media on March 13 to address where the team was following the beginning of free agency. Naturally, one of the main topics was Tagovailoa’s signing.
“For Tua coming in here, he knows he’s coming in here to compete, like Michael (Penix Jr.) knows he is coming in to compete, everybody quite frankly, not just those two at the quarterback position,” Cunningham said, per Tori McElhaney. “There are no starters right now.”
Both quarterbacks will be looking to prove something come this fall. Penix will be coming off ACL surgery repair and might not even be available come Week 1 or later. But he’ll also be looking to prove he is the Falcons future at the position.
As for Tagovailoa, this is a chance to revitalize his career in a new setting. Since his Pro Bowl season back in 2023, when he went 11-6 and threw for over 4,600 yards and 29 touchdowns, it’s been a downward slope for the former first-rounder.
In the last two seasons, the former Dolphins signal caller has gone 12-13, throwing for over 5,500 yards, 39 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, missing nine games with multiple injuries.
In a sense, though, this has to feel like a bit of deja vu for Penix, albeit on the other side of things this time.
Falcons Avoid Repeating Kirk Cousins Situation
This isn’t the first time Penix will be in a quarterback competition with the Falcons. He more or less began his career that way after being drafted No. 8 overall right after the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal.
Then, under head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, Cousins was blindsided by the news of the team drafting Penix. Cunningham made sure that didn’t happen with Penix, though, with new head coach Kevin Stefanski reaching out to Penix and his agent beforehand about Tagovailoa’s signing.
“You don’t want to blindside somebody,” Cunningham explained. “That’s just how we operate. We want to have open conversations and communication. I feel like we did that in regards to Michael and Tua.”
While there’s still plenty of things to fix within the Falcons organization, it does appear there’s a stark difference in leadership now compared to previously.
That in no way guarantees the quarterback situation will figure itself out in Year 1, but it’s at least a start.