One of the biggest debates of the offseason has been around if the Atlanta Falcons were right to sign Tua Tagovailoa over Kyler Murray. From a pure talent perspective, probably not, but if you pull back the curtain and look a little deeper at the contracts they signed, their thought process looks better.
While detailing his takeaways from league meetings last week, ESPN's Dan Graziano took a closer look at the Tagovailoa and Murray deals. Even though the Falcons signed Tua to a cheaper deal worth $1.215 million compared to Kyler's $1.3 million, Graziano noted one major difference in their deals.
Murray's contract with the Minnesota Vikings contains a clause prohibiting the Vikings from using a franchise or transition tag on him next offseason, so regardless of how things go next season, he will hit free agency. However, Atlanta's deal with Tua does not have a clause against the franchise tag.
""The key difference is that Murray's contract contains a clause prohibiting the Vikings from designating him a franchise or transition player in 2027, whereas Tagovailoa's contract contains no such clause. So, if Murray plays great football for the Vikings and they want to re-sign him, they could have competition from other teams, whereas if Tagovailoa becomes the Falcons' starter and plays great, they could hold him in place next year with a franchise tag.""Dan Graziano.
This probably means that once the former No. 1 pick becomes a free agent again in 2027, there will be more competition for his services if he plays well. Meanwhile, if Tagovailoa plays well with the Dirty Birds, they'll have an easier time keeping him, even if it's too early to think about next offseason.
The Atlanta Falcons strategic Tua Tagovailoa's contract is becoming a major advantage in planning their future
Graziano revealed he doesn't think this is particularly damning regarding the team's plans for the two signal-callers, but it still matters. To me, it seems like Murray is thinking more about cashing in next offseason, while Tagovailoa's focus is about reviving his career in Atlanta, which is the right approach.
The 28-year-old is coming off a brutal 2025 season with the Miami Dolphins. 15 picks and getting benched for a seventh-round pick is hard to come back from, but it wasn't long ago that he was playing his best football. So if he returns to his Pro Bowl form, you want to keep him in the building.
He still thinks the Falcons want to give Michael Penix Jr. another shot when he returns, yet the Vikings won't be as forgiving with J.J. McCarthy. Atlanta originally seemed to want Kyler Murray, but when they caught wind of his interest in the Vikings, they pivoted to Tagovailoa, so it worked out.
2026 has all the makings of a bridge year, where Atlanta will evaluate the QB situation entering an offseason where they'll have more cap space and draft capital, not to mention a first-round pick they could use in a QB class that's currently looked at as one of the most talented in recent memory.
However, a lot still hinges on who wins the QB battle between Tua and Penix, as Atlanta is probably in a decent spot regardless. Tagovailoa will be entering the best situation of his career, but it sounds like everyone has written both signal-callers off already, even if 2026 is a pivotal season for them both.
In an ideal world, Tagovailoa and Penix are merely adequate and the Falcons draft a new franchise QB in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft, but at least Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski have set Atlanta up for a possibility where Matt Ryan can help them retain the Alabama product if he shines.