Falcons Say Michael Penix Jr. Was Informed Before Tua Tagovailoa Signing

Tua Tagovailoa signed a one year deal with the Falcons after he was released by the Dolphins and now he will compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting QB job.

Falcons Say Michael Penix Jr. Was Informed Before Tua Tagovailoa Signing

Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • The Atlanta Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting quarterback position.
  • Head coach Kevin Stefanski communicated with Penix before pursuing Tagovailoa to ensure clarity on the competition.
  • Penix had a challenging rookie season, recording a 3-6 record and suffering a season-ending ACL tear.

The Atlanta Falcons bringing in Tua Tagovailoa casts doubt on Michael Penix Jr.’s role as the starting quarterback. League sources say new head coach Kevin Stefanski chose Tagovailoa to compete with Penix for the QB1 spot, but let’s be real, if Tua’s arriving, he’s probably not going to be sitting on the bench.

Last week, the Dolphins released Tagovailoa after a six-year spell. The Miami Dolphins immediately signed Malik Willis as their potential number one going into the new season.

Around the same time, the Falcons parted ways with veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins, even though he still had two years left on his four-year, $180 million contract. A month later, the Falcons shocked the NFL world by drafting Washington alum Michael Penix Jr. in the first round.

With Cousins no longer in the building, the Falcons agreed on a one-year deal with Tagovailoa. On Friday, newly appointed general manager Ian Cunningham revealed that they are bringing the Pro Bowler in to compete with Penix for the starting quarterback job.

For Tua [Tagovailoa] 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. There are no starters right now.

Cunningham told reporters (H/T: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network)

Penix played three games during his rookie campaign after Cousins picked up an injury. In the following offseason, the Falcons decided to make Penix the starter ahead of Cousins. He recorded a 3-6 record while completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.

According to Cunningham, Stefanski spoke with Penix before placing the bid for Tua. He wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page.

Tua Tagovailoa reacts to signing with the Falcons

Tagovailoa’s days in Miami were fast coming to an end. He delivered several memorable performances at South Beach, finishing as the passing yards leader (4624) in 2023 and having the best completion percentage (72.9) in the entire league in 2024.

Falcons Say Michael Penix Jr. Was Informed Before Tua Tagovailoa Signing
Tua Tagovailoa (Image via IMAGO)

However, injuries had been stacking up over the past two years. He missed 9 games during that span, which resulted in the Dolphins missing the playoffs on both occasions. In 2025, the Dolphins were off to a decent start, with Tua completing 67.7% of his passes for 2660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. He was benched after the Dolphins’ Monday Night Football loss to the Steelers, effectively ending his tenure as the starting quarterback.

At the beginning of the year, Miami made several significant changes to its coaching staff, including the appointment of Jeff Hafley as head coach, who came from Green Bay. Hafley brought in former Packer Willis as the new QB, leaving Tagovailoa to find a new home. In doing so, Miami is set to absorb an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

On Friday, Tua officially signed a one-year contract with the Falcons.

Based off of what happened last year [in Miami], I knew I needed to play better [football], but I think this is a great opportunity to be able to come here and get a good reset. I want to thank the Blank family. I want to thank [owner] Arthur [Blank]. I want to thank Coach [Kevin] Stefanski. I want to thank the organization for allowing me this opportunity. I am excited.

Tagovailoa said

Tagovailoa made a total of 78 appearances for the Dolphins. He went 44-32 as the starter, threw 120 touchdowns, 59 interceptions, and had a completion percentage of 68.0.

Also Read: