There are a lot of questions surrounding the Atlanta Falcons in 2026, but quarterback won't be one of them. Kirk Cousins is all but guaranteed to be cut, and Kevin Stefanski at least wants to give Michael Penix Jr. a shot to prove himself in an offensive system that wasn't put together by a 12-year-old.
With Cousins on his way out, the Falcons evidently will be players in the QB carousel this offseason., and Bleacher Report's Moe Moton thinks they could make a splash move to replace Kirk--who he has landing in Arizona in this scenario. That makes sense, but his contingency plan is where he loses me.
Moton's elaborate plan for Atlanta's QB dilemma is to sign ex-Dolphins' starter Tua Tagovailoa. Really, Tua? The same signal-caller who despite being productive three seasons ago has a brain full of mush due to concussion woes and is a total shell of the QB he once was? Yeah, I think I'll pass on this one.
Odds are that Tagovailoa will be traded (if they can find a willing suitor) or cut this offseason, but that doesn't mind you pick his next destination by a game of chance. There's no need for Ian Cunningham to saddle the Dirty Birds with another insane QB contract when they have young stars to extend.
No matter how bad the Falcons need a backup behind Michael Penix Jr., there is no world in which Tua Tagovailoa will in Atlanta in 2026
Tua needs a change of scenery, especially after he was benched midway through 2025, but the Falcons don't need him. They still need to see things through with Penix with this new coaching staff, rather than replace the 25-year-old with a less talented and more concussed version of him at QB1.
It's a bad look since Moton used Matt Ryan's non-answer about Penix from Cunningham's opening presser to back up his case. Yet he seems to have missed Ryan setting the record straight, or even Stefanski's clear commitment to making the Penix marriage work once he returns from injury.
They are both left-handed quarterbacks with an injury history. That isn't exactly a smoking gun, in all honesty. Sure, Tua could be a solid bridge starter somewhere, but Atlanta is not that place given the QB woes their new coach dealt with in Cleveland and Tua's career-high 15 picks in 14 starts in 2025.
They would be better suited acquiring a veteran like Joe Flacco than Tagovialoa, who has experience playing for Stefanski and could provide Penix that same mentorship that Cousins has. And he's proven time and again that he still has some good football left in the tank, even though he's in his 40s.
Tua is also better suited to try and pursue a starting job outright, which the Falcons wouldn't grant him. This would be a marriage that would end in disaster for all parties, so the new regime is better off just sticking with Penix and making low-leverage additions in the QB room.