The Atlanta Falcons being key players in the quarterback market this offseason is one of the NFL's worst-kept secrets. You just know that Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski already have a plan in place behind Michael Penix Jr., especially now that Kirk Cousins' release is about to be made official.
There's been talk of Malik WIllis, Kyler Murray, and even Joe Flacco to push Penix for the starting job, but another option is starting to gain steam: Tua Tagovailoa. It's a polarizing option, but now that the Miami Dolphins released him with a post-June 1 designation, they're on the hook for a lot of money.
Tua has been expected to be cut for a while now, but just hours before free agency began, new Dolphins' GM Jon-Eric Sullivan made it official. This means that while they're starting from scratch at QB, their former QB could be the grizzled vet the Dirty Birds call upon if Penix isn't ready for Week 1.
Tua Tagovailoa to the Falcons is starting to look like a very realistic possibility
Honestly, not many Falcons fans would be on board with this reality, but let's put it this way. The Dolphins are paying the 28-year-old an NFL record $99 million in dead money across the next two seasons, so like Kyler, he could end up signing a contract for the league minimum of $1.3 million.
If the Dirty Birds were to pay him a penny more than that minimum, there's no world where this makes sense. But an experienced starting signal-caller to add to the QB room for pennies on the dollar? There's no risk involved in this move, as his job would be to compete with Penix for the starting role.
If he's healthy in time for training camp, odds are that Penix would win that battle, but even if he doesn't or if he struggles, they have a cheap, experienced backup they can feel comfortable turning to. He doesn't have to set the world on fire, he just has to be better than he was the last two seasons.
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023. The guy was even a Pro Bowler. But like with Penix, his main issue is consistently staying on the field. That 2023 season was the only time in his career in which he played a full 17 games, but I'll admit that some of the injury-prone narratives are overblown.
Yes, his brain is basically mush after dealing with concussion problems in both 2022 and 2024, but the 2020 first-round pick from Alabama was only good to begin with because of Mike McDaniel's system, and I'm sure Stefanski and Tommy Rees could dial up an offense that's just as QB-friendly.
The reason fans are so apprehensive about this move is because Tua's 2025 form looked genuinely awful. His arm strength tapered off, his decision-making looked awful, and his release times were slower. No wonder only Geno Smith threw more picks than him and he was benched for Quinn Ewers.
The reason this makes sense is that they wouldn't be hitching their wagon to him and there would no real financial investment, but signing a left-handed injury-prone quarterback would essentially see Stefanski try to turn his 25-year-old franchise QB into a carbon copy of Tua, and that cannot happen.
There's no risk and also no reward, so they better stay away and let Penix remain the starter.