Through all of the doubt surrounding the Atlanta Falcons' decision to sign Tua Tagovailoa, the one thing you can't question is the contract itself. Bringing in a former Pro Bowler for the NFL's veteran minimum is a stroke of genius, especially if he wins the starting job over Michael Penix Jr. in camp.
For this cheap, the Falcons have nothing to lose. Penix hasn't been up to snuff yet either, but it's rare you're able to bring in a signal-caller with 70 starts under their belt for the low price of $1.2 million. And given how much the other options Atlanta looked at ended up signing for, it made this age better.
Before the offseason began, Joe Flacco was looked at as the established veteran the Dirty Birds would look into because of his experience playing in Kevin Stefanski's offense. But when Tagovailoa was released, the two-time Coach of the Year got opportunistic, which left his former QB out to dry.
Interest really dried up for Flacco across the last couple of weeks, so his options were limited in finding a place where he could compete. So instead, he agreed to terms on a one-year, $6 million deal to return to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he will continue to serve as the backup behind Joe Burrow.
The Joe Flacco contract confirms the Atlanta Falcons were right to sign Tua Tagovailoa
Let's do some quick math here. Would you rather roll the dice on Tua for the league minimum, or would you rather sign a 41-year-old Flacco for five times as much? I think I know my answer. Either way it's a prove-it deal to compete with Penix, so why not sign the more talented player for cheaper?
Flacco's ties to Stefanski count, but he started a couple of games for Cleveland in 2025, and looked like age was finally catching up to him. He didn't look like the guy who won Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 or who led the Browns to the playoffs, let alone helping Stefanski win Coach of the Year.
It wasn't until he was traded to Cincinnati and throwing passes to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins where he looked serviceable, and that's a situation any QB can thrive in. Seeing him be gifted a spot in the Pro Bowl shouldn't take away from the fact that he is no more than a solid backup at this point, while Tua could still be a decent starter with a change of scenery in this better situation.
For as awful as Tagovailoa was in 2025, it shouldn't underscore his past accomplishments. The 28-year-old led the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs twice, led the NFL in passing yards in 2023, led the NFL in completion percentage in 2024, and did so while battling a slew of injuries year in and year out.
Tagovailoa comes with risks after a 15-interception year, but the whole goal this offseason in Atlanta was to spend less money to improve their QB room. And by going from Kirk Cousins to Tua, suffice it to say that they're better off, especially since they avoided paying a worse player more money.