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Tua Tagovailoa named as starting quarterback for Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have named Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback for week one of the regular season. The first game is on Sunday against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons have named Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback for Sunday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What we know:
The Falcons announced the decision Monday, ending a months-long competition between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr.
Tagovailoa signed with Atlanta during the offseason after being released by the Miami Dolphins. The 28-year-old spent six seasons in Miami and has 76 career starts. He led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023 and led the league in completion percentage in 2024.
Tagovailoa gets the Week 1 job
What they're saying:
Tagovailoa worked with Atlanta's starting offense for much of training camp and started the Falcons' first and final preseason games. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Tagovailoa's experience showed during camp.
"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."
Penix entered training camp recovering from a torn ACL suffered in November 2025 and wasn't cleared for 11-on-11 work until late in camp. Tagovailoa also dealt with minor back tightness early but returned to full participation.
Tagovailoa will now take over an Atlanta offense featuring Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, along with offseason additions Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus and Brian Robinson Jr.
Sunday's game will mark Tagovailoa's first regular-season start for a team other than Miami — and give the former No. 5 overall draft pick a chance at a fresh start in Atlanta.