NFL: Atlanta Falcons Minicamp
Jun 16, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa (1) and Michael Penix Jr. (9) on the field during Minicamp. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Tua Tagovailoa will start the season at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons were the last team to name a starting quarterback ahead of Week 1. Michael Penix Jr. was apparently in a battle for the starting job despite the fact that he is still recovering from an ACL injury.
The Falcons signed Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.215 million contract with the Falcons during the offseason. He is now officially the lowest paid starting quarterback in the NFL. Overall, there are 67 quarterbacks making more than him this season. While he is less than $100,000 behind Vikings’ quarterback Kyler Murray, he’s also making less than notable backups like Drew Allar, Dillon Gabriel, Trey Lance and Mason Rudolph.
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Tua Tagovailoa’s previous contract was huge
Tagovailoa signed a four-year $212 million extension with the Dolphins just two years ago. He signed that deal after a Pro Bowl season where he threw for a career-high 4,624 yards and 29 touchdown passes. At the time he signed it, that contract made him the third highest-paid quarterback in the entire league by average annual value. It was a financial decision from which the Dolphins still have not recovered.
Penix went 3-6 in nine starts last season. He threw nine touchdowns and three interceptions while throwing for 200.1 yards a game. The Falcons brought Tagovailoa in because they were worried he wouldn’t be ready for Week 1. It turns out they were right to be concerned.
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With Penix still out, the Falcons actually kept four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand. Rush’s cap figure is $1.075 million.
Rush went 4-4 while filling in for an injured Dak Prescott in 2024. He threw for 12 touchdowns a five interceptions that season. Strand, who went undrafted out of Minnesota State-Moorhead where he finished his college career in the top 10 for all-time passing yards in Division II football.
If Tagovailoa doesn’t play well, there might not be a spot on the roster for him once Penix does come back.