The Atlanta Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback for Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending a summer competition with Michael Penix Jr. and handing the former University of Alabama star a chance to rebuild his career after a rocky final season in Miami.
The team announced the decision Monday. Kickoff at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13.
Tagovailoa signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons in March after the Dolphins released him. Miami absorbed a record $99.2 million in dead salary cap space to part ways with the quarterback it drafted fifth overall in 2020.
Over six seasons in Miami, Tagovailoa started 76 games and went 44-32, leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with 4,624 and topping the league with a 72.9% completion rate in 2024. His final season with the Dolphins fell apart when he was benched after 14 games in 2025 while leading the NFL with 15 interceptions, and he has dealt with the effects of four documented concussions since 2019.
Camp competition
Tagovailoa was limited for the first week of training camp by a minor back injury before returning to full strength, while Penix spent much of the summer working back from a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in November.
Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said during camp that Tagovailoa’s experience showed up in how he read defenses.
“I think the biggest thing that you can tell is he’s a veteran,” Rees said. “He can see the field really well, and if the defense makes a mistake, he can see that and exploit it.”
Atlanta kept four quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster, including Tagovailoa, Penix, Cooper Rush, and rookie Jack Strand.
A retooled group of targets
Tagovailoa inherits a reshaped supporting cast, including running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts. The Falcons also added receivers Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Brian Robinson Jr. in free agency and drafted Georgia’s Zachariah Branch in the third round.
Season opener
- Atlanta Falcons vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium
- Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m.
- TV: FOX
- Radio: 92.9 FM
