After a disastrous 2025 season, the Miami Dolphins cut ties with former Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They released him and ate a huge chunk of the money they owed him from an ill-fated contract extension of over $200 million in the summer of 2024.
That extension came after back-to-back outstanding seasons where he had managed to stay pretty healthy, starting 30 of a possible 34 games for the Dolphins, including all 17 in 2023. In 2022, Tagovailoa led the NFL in Passer Rating and finished No. 9 in MVP voting. In 2023, he led the NFL in passing yards and led the Dolphins to an 11-6 record.
He missed six games in 2024, but Tagovailoa still finished at the top of the NFL in completion percentage. He fell off a cliff in 2025, however, with the toll of a career littered with injuries weighing on him. He had his worst Passer Rating since his rookie season, and threw 15 interceptions in 14 starts. Tyreek Hill's injury certainly didn't help as the Dolphins were a lot more limited in terms of weapons.
Still, ESPN's Benjamin Solak believes Tagovailoa's drop-off is more of a "trend" than a "blip" in his career, but he also was optimistic that the former Crimson Tide star found a pretty good situation in Atlanta.
Tagovailoa signed a one-year contract with the Falcons for backup money, but he is competing with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job, and with Penix still recovering from his torn ACL, Tagovailoa has a leg up as both learn a new system under new Atlanta head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Per Solak in an article published on ESPN on Friday, Tagovailoa is a good enough fit to start for multiple seasons in Atlanta.
Tua Tagovailoa has the weapons at his disposal to thrive with the Falcons
"The environment in Atlanta is strong: RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts Sr. form a versatile trio of talented pass catchers. So, Tagovailoa has a legitimate chance to not just win the starting job but also play well enough to secure it for multiple seasons," Solak writes.
Tagavailoa certainly has the weapons to have a resurgence in Atlanta. He's shown the ability to be an effective point guard, getting the ball to his weapons quickly and letting them get to work. Stefanski will design the offense in a way that takes advantage of Tagovailoa's strengths, assuming he can beat out Penix for the job.
Injuries have certainly hampered Tagovailoa over the years, dating back to the dislocated hip that ended his Alabama career back in 2019. He's not the same magical, wunderkind quarterback he was in college, but he's still more than capable of being a starting QB in the NFL.
"I still think 2025 is more trend than blip for Tagovailoa; he'll continue to produce more modest numbers outside of the McDaniel offense than he ever produced in it," Solak writes. "However, he has enough positive traits that good offensive coaches should get passable starting play out of him -- and Stefanski is a good offensive coach."
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