Just like in the real world, the court of public opinion holds significant weight about what goes down in the NFL, especially when free agency is the talk of the town. And now that the dust has settled a bit, the narratives around the Atlanta Falcons' Tua Tagovailoa signing are starting to age better by the day.
Frankly, every move Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski have made in their first offseason in Atlanta is garnering support, but even more so with Tagovailoa. Now that we know that he's being paid the veteran minimum just to push Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job, people are willing to overlook their intial doubts and questions about Tua as a talent for a low-stakes move.
And that was precisely why Pro Football Focus' Zoltan Buday labeled the Tagovailoa signing as the best offseason move the Falcons made. It's not like there's much competition, but of all of the low-stakes signings the Dirty Birds made, Tua has the chance to provide them with the biggest payoff.
The Tua Tagovailoa signing has a chance to alter the Falcons' future as we know it
It's hard to believe that signing a player who threw 15 interceptions, has an alarming medical history, and was benched for a seventh-round rookie comes with upside, but it's true. If you look at the player the 28-year-old was in 2024 and 2023, he's lightyears better than Michael Penix Jr. has ever been.
Tua made the Pro Bowl in 2023 for leading the NFL in passing yards, but led the league in completion percentage in 2024. He also led the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs in back-to-back years despite playing behind a horrible offensive line which must have contributed to his injury woes in some way.
The situation is perfect for the Alabama product to turn things around, especially in Year 1 of a new regime who is preparing to evaluate all options under center. The job is his to lose with Penix rehabbing a part-torn ACL suffered in November, but winning the job only matters if he can hold on.
It isn't often that you're able to sign a starting quarterback, let along a former Pro Bowler, for the cheap price of $1.2 million, so you jump at that opportunity. Gardner Minshew, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett will all make more than him as backups, so Tua and Kyler Murray offered the best value at QB.
While signings like Jahan Dotson, Christian Harris, and Brian Robinson Jr. offer the Falcons some solid depth to raise the floor of this roster, no move Atlanta makes this offense will make a bigger impact on how things go in 2026, and could even alter the way they look at QBs in future NFL Drafts.
And believe it or not, there is plenty of reason to bet on Tagovailoa to bet on his old form, because if this gamble pays off, Stefanski and Cunningham will look like geniuses.