The Falcons switched up their quarterback room this offseason by releasing Kirk Cousins and signing both Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Siemian, who will join Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta.
Tagovailoa comes to the Falcons after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Dolphins. A national champion at Alabama and the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft, Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards in 2023 and led the Dolphins to a couple playoff appearances, but he did not fully live up to expectations over his tenure in Miami. The Dolphins released him this offseason, and he is now teaming up with Atlanta.
"Last year was not the best year for me, I'm looking for a fresh start,” Tagovailoa told reporters on Tuesday, via Maria Martin. “I think the best football is still ahead of me."
Tagovailoa was part of a turbulent season for the Dolphins in 2025. After starting the year on a poor note, there were quickly calls for the team to fire head coach Mike McDaniel. Meanwhile, Tagovailoa received heavy criticism for his play, some press conference comments and calling out teammates publicly for being late or not showing up to player-only meetings. Even after the Dolphins improved later in the season, Tagovailoa struggled and was benched for rookie Quinn Ewers.
“I don't want to get too much in depth with things that were going on. More so in terms of players to coaches than it was players to players, but it was unique in a sense,” Tagovailoa said of the past season with the Dolphins, per Martin. “It was unique."
Tagovailoa also said, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN, “Last year, my play wasn't up to the standard of how I was playing football the three years [before]. Gotta play better football. No way to sugarcoat that.”
As Tagovailoa decided to make the Falcons his next destination, he noted new President of Football Matt Ryan played a big part in that choice. "We've talked outside of that with football, if I had any questions his room is always open for me to go up there,” Tagovailoa said, via Raimondi.
In Atlanta, Tagovailoa will get another chance to start. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham noted that the team is not set on a starting quarterback at this point, leaving Tagovailoa to compete with Penix. "For Tua coming in here, he knows he's coming in here to compete, like Michael knows he is coming in to compete,” Cunningham said earlier this month. "There are no starters right now.”
Tagovailoa is ready to take on the competition, as well as help Penix as he enters his third NFL season.
“You either love competition. You're either a competitor or you're not. I embrace the competition, I'm excited to work alongside with Mike (Penix Jr) and I'm excited to work with the team,” Tagovailoa said, via Martin. “I think it's gonna be fun this year."
Tagovailoa is coming off a season which saw him complete 67.7% of his passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions before his benching. He will go up against Penix, who is recovering from his third ACL tear. The Falcons made Penix the starter last season, but he struggled to find consistency at the position before suffering a season-ending injury. Penix remains inexperienced and could have a bright future ahead, but with a roster ready to compete to win the NFC South, the Falcons will have to go with the quarterback ready to let them finally live up to their position—whether that’s Tagovailoa or Penix.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tua Tagovailoa Gets Brutally Honest on Leaving Dolphins, Signing With Falcons.
