The Atlanta Falcons signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason this offseason. The Miami Dolphins released him. Tagovailoa has played for Miami since the 2020 NFL season.
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Dec 28, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) stands on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Falcons decided to release quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason. Signing Tagovailoa is a good move for the Falcons because quarterback Michael Penix Jr. may not be ready to start the 2026 NFL season. Kevin Stefanski is the new head coach for Atlanta.
PFF Likes the Atlanta Falcons Signing QB Tua Tagovailoa
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Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks on from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Zoltan Buday of profootballfocus.com wrote about one signing he has liked for each NFL team this offseason and one signing he has not liked. Buday likes the signing of Tagovailoa to the Falcons. He said,
“A shining example of a low-risk, high-reward move. The Falcons signed Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million contract. Admittedly, theAlabamaproduct did not play well in his final years in Miami, but he was a top-10 quarterback in PFF overall grade in 2022 and 2023. The Falcons will hope he can replicate his form from those seasons and compete withMichael Penix Jr.for the starting job.”
He is 28 years old though. During the 2025 NFL season with the Dolphins, he completed 67.7% of his passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Tua also rushed for 43 yards on 20 carries and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 2.2 yards per carry. With having two left-handed quarterbacks on the same team, this makes sense for Atlanta moving forward.
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