The Falcons appear locked onto their next quarterback as the NFL’s two-day free-agent negotiation window opened Monday.
The team is planning to sign veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Dolphins will release Tagovailoa on Wednesday, the start of the NFL league year, absorbing a record dead-cap hit of $99.2 million.
Tagovailoa is positioned to take a one-year, $1.3 million deal, since he’s owed around $54 million in guaranteed cash from the Dolphins. Therein lies some appeal for the Falcons, who are still dealing with the financial fallout of their own veteran quarterback misfire in Kirk Cousins, whom they’re releasing.
Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is recovering from another ACL tear and his status to begin the season is unclear. He also hasn’t proven to be the team’s answer at quarterback.
The Falcons had been linked to several potentially available veterans, needing a stopgap and potentially a viable alternative, should Penix falter when healthy.
New president of football Matt Ryan, general manager Ian Cunningham and coach Kevin Stefanski landed on Tagovailoa, the former Alabama star whose once-promising career has fizzled out.
Miami drafted Tagovailoa at No. 5 overall in 2020. The franchise chose him over Oregon’s Justin Herbert, who went a pick later to the Chargers. Tagovailoa was coming off a sensational career at Alabama that led many to believe he was the greatest quarterback of the Nick Saban era.
Tagovailoa has experienced a lot of highs and lows in his professional career. He’s had injury issues, including four documented concussions, and he’s played in every game only once in six seasons.
He peaked during the 2022-23 seasons, throwing 54 touchdowns to 22 interceptions, under offensive-guru coach Mike McDaniel. But injuries and regression led to an underwhelming performance over the past two years, as the team around him also collapsed.
Overall, Tagovailoa has thrown for 120 touchdowns, 59 interceptions and a 68% completion percentage. But his recent downward spiral led to a house-cleaning in Miami — owner Stephen Ross made changes at GM, coach and quarterback.
Tagovailoa benefited greatly from speedster receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. He’ll have Drake London in Atlanta, but the Falcons are remaking their receiver room, with reports that they reached an agreement Monday with former Eagles receiver Jahan Dotson.
Running back Bijan Robinson will certainly help — he’s a menace as a receiving threat, too — as could tight end Kyle Pitts, who was franchise-tagged.
Tagovailoa is limited, but as McDaniel did in Miami, an offensive coach like Stefanski is expected to extract the most from whichever signal-caller he starts. Tagovailoa is a timing and rhythm player, succeeding within structure.
The NFC South is considered winnable, so the Falcons will see how far a Tagovailoa-Penix pairing — a rare lefty quarterback duo — could get them. If neither player succeeds, the team is better equipped to pursue a long-term solution at quarterback next spring.
There were limited options to address the position this time around. It seems the Falcons have chosen Tagovailoa, who will try to resurrect his career in the same venue he once threw a championship-winning touchdown in January 2018, when Alabama famously broke Georgia’s heart.
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