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Tua Tagovailoa won’t have to go far to start his next chapter in the NFL.
The former Miami Dolphins quarterback “plans to sign” a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, joining fellow left-handed pitcher Michael Penix Jr. in what is expected to be a quarterback competition heading into the 2026 season, ESPN reported.
The Dolphins officially made their decision on Tagovailoa on Monday, although the writing has been on the wall for quite some time. New Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan announced the team will release him when free agency begins, cutting ties with the team’s 2020 first-round draft pick as a new regime arrives, including head coach Jeff Hafley.
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Tua Tagovailoa (1) of the Miami Dolphins walks off the field after a failed two-point conversion attempt in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 15, 2025. (Justin Berl/AP Photo)
Miami also quickly found a potential replacement for Tagovailoa, agreeing to terms with Malik Willis, whom Sullivan and Hafley know well as he backed up Jordan Love with the Green Bay Packers in recent seasons.
“As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is,” Sullivan said in a statement. “On behalf of the Miami Dolphins, I expressed our gratitude for his many contributions, both on the field and in the community, during his six seasons in Miami.”
DOLPHINS APPEAR TO FIND TUA TAGOVAILOA’S REPLACEMENT AS FREE AGENCY OPENS
There was talk that Tagovailoa could join the Falcons, who also made a quarterback move by letting veteran Kirk Cousins go to pursue his next opportunity in the league.
Under a one-year deal (terms were not disclosed), Tagovailoa hopes to battle in training camp with Penix, whom the Falcons selected eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington. He is coming off a partially torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons on October 26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Before that, Penix, who went 3-6 in his nine starts last season with Atlanta, threw for 1,982 yards with nine touchdown passes and three interceptions, completing 60.1% of his throws.
Tagovailoa, meanwhile, could benefit from a fresh start after struggling as a senior with Miami last season. He went 6-8 as the team’s starter, throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, as the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs once again.
This wasn’t what the Dolphins had in mind after the Alabama product did enough to warrant a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension at the start of the 2024 season. Now, Miami is expected to designate Tagovailoa after June 1, taking on $99 million in dead cap space split over the next two seasons, ESPN reported.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws a pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Tagovailoa only made one playoff appearance and one Pro Bowl in his six seasons with the Dolphins, which came in 2023 when Miami went 11-6.
The Falcons are desperate to get back to the playoffs, having last done so in 2017, where they lost in the Divisional Round. Under the leadership of Matt Ryan at quarterback, the Falcons reached the Super Bowl in 2016, albeit an infamous finish, having blown a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots.
