Tua Tagovailoa Heads to Falcons
Tua Tagovailoa's leaving Miami — he'll reportedly sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons Sources: QB Tua Tagovailoa to sign 1-year deal with Falcons - ESPN. This means the Falcons will have two left-handed quarterbacks Sources: QB Tua Tagovailoa to sign 1-year deal with Falcons - ESPN. Who's the other southpaw?
Tagovailoa's one-year deal with the Falcons is reportedly for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. He'll likely compete for the starting job while Michael Penix Jr. recovers from a torn ACL sustained in Week 11 of last season. Penix has stated he expects to be ready for Week 1. The Falcons' new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, and general manager, Ian Cunningham, are looking to revamp the team. Atlanta also brought in former Falcons QB Matt Ryan as president of football operations. Miami will carry a significant dead cap hit due to Tagovailoa's release, potentially a record-breaking $99.2 million. The Dolphins can split the cap hit over two years, with $67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027. Tagovailoa was drafted by the Dolphins as the 5th overall pick in 2020. During his time in Miami, he threw for 18,166 yards and 120 touchdowns. He also earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2023. Left-handed quarterbacks have been relatively rare in the NFL. Hall of Famers Steve Young and Ken Stabler are among the most successful lefties in league history. As of 2025, Tagovailoa, Penix Jr., and Dillon Gabriel are the NFL's only left-handed quarterbacks. Other notable left-handed NFL quarterbacks include Michael Vick, Boomer Esiason, and Mark Brunell. The last lefty to start a conference title game was Vick in 2004. Matt Ryan holds the Falcons' franchise records for passing yards (59,735) and touchdown passes (367). Other notable Falcons QBs include Steve Bartkowski and Michael Vick.
