Tua Tagovailoa learns fate in Atlanta Falcons QB competition
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Tua Tagovailoa will start for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
The Falcons made the announcement Monday morning. Tagovailoa, who came over from Miami during the offseason, was competing with Michael Penix Jr., who started 9 games for Atlanta in 2025 before undergoing season-ending surgery.
Tua Tagovailoa has been named starting quarterback for Week 1https://t.co/67barjCycW pic.twitter.com/l9QwpkUZOA
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 7, 2026
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The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa is entering Year 7 of his professional career. The former Alabama standout spent the first 6 seasons of his pro career with the Miami Dolphins.
Tagovailoa played in 78 games, making 76 starts for the Dolphins. In his career, he has completed 68% of his passes for 18,166 passing yards, a rate of 7.5 per attempt. He has thrown for 120 touchdowns with 59 interceptions.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2023, Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards that season with 4,624. He was the NFL’s passer rating leader in 2022 (105.5) and posted the top completion percentage in 2024 (72.9%).
Tagovailoa is looking to bounce back from a 2025 season that saw him throw 15 interceptions in 14 games, a career high. The Falcons open the 2026 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
