The Atlanta Falcons' decision to sign Tua Tagovailoa has been met with mixed reviews, which is only fitting. Tagovailoa is among the most polarizing quarterbacks in the NFL, which is why this deal has been met with a barrage of jokes on social media, even if this move isn't as bad as people say it is.
While Falcons fans are a particularly tough crowd to please, it's understandable why they are so apprehensive about this deal. The 28-year-old threw a career-high 15 interceptions in 2025 and looked like a shell of a player who led the NFL in passing yards and made the Pro Bowl in 2023.
However, we finally have the full picture. We were able to catch up with a Miami Dolphins' expert for some extra insight. Phin Phanatic's Brian Miller let us in on the real reason that signing Tagovailoa is such a minefield, which believe it or not, was not the many concussions he's suffered over the years.
"Tua Tagovailoa needs a change of scenery. His time with the Dolphins was filled with controversy dating back to his time with Brian Flores. Despite his massively bad contract, there was no way he was making it into 2026. Tagovailoa is a one of those “buyer-beware” type QBs. His injury history is well-documented, but a late 2024 hip injury might be more concerning than his multiple concussions. Since suffering that injury, his mechanics have suffered as his mental approach to taking hits."Brian Miller
Miller pinpointed his controversial tenure with the Dolphins that's dated back years as cause for concern, but it's a different injury that the Dirty Birds should be worried about. Tagovailoa suffered. a hip injury late in 2024 which was the catalyst behind his major statistical fall-off throughout 2025 and the reason he was forced to accept a backup job.
Tua Tagovailoa's hip injury is just as alarming as his concussion symptoms
Miller revealed that because of this injury, Tagovailoa's mechanics have suffered, and has developed an unwillingness to take hits. The 2020 first-round pick led the NFL in completion percentage in 2024, but he missed the final six games of that season because of this hip injury, so it was clearly severe.
Due to some genuinely terrible mechanics, his decision-making has also taken a major step in the wrong direction. It isn't often you see a signal-caller double their interception count from one season to the next, so while it does offer an explanation, it isn't enough of one to put people's fears to rest.
So not only is this guy's brain practically mush from the concussions, his mechanics are getting worse and he wasn't even a good processor beforehand. He struggles to read a defense or make the correct decisions, so even though he has high-level accuracy, he won't reach the form of his old self.
The ex-Alabama star doesn't even come close to having the arm talent of Michael Penix Jr., so while everytone things he'll make a hard bargain for the starting job, that still belongs to Penix. So as a QB2, on the minimum, this contract makes sense, but if he has to start, Falcons fans are right to be worried.
This signing comes with little risk, so even in the event he has to start and struggles, there's no harm, no foul. But hopefully the year removed from this hip issue helps him return to his pre-injury form and Kevin Stefanski is able to recoup some value out of Tua.