The Atlanta Falcons announced they will start QB Tua Tagovailoa over Michael Penix Jr. in Week 1 against the Steelers.
It was recently reported Tagovailoa will have a “short leash” as the starter, as Penix’s recovery from an ACL injury was a factor in Tagovailoa winning the job.
Tagovailoa, 28, was selected with the No. 5 overall pick out of Alabama in 2020 by the Dolphins. He signed a four-year, $30,275,438 rookie contract with a $19,578,501 signing bonus. He earned a base salary of $1,010,000 in the final year of his deal.
The Dolphins picked up Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option worth $23,171,000 for the 2024 season.
From there, the team re-signed him to a four-year deal worth up to $212 million, with $167 million guaranteed. Miami released Tagovailoa this offseason, and he signed a one-year deal with the Falcons.
In 2025, Tagovailoa appeared in 14 games for the Dolphins and completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
Penix, 25, transferred from Indiana to Washington for the 2022 season, after spending four seasons at Indiana. The Falcons used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft on Penix.
Penix is in the second year of his four-year, $22,384,370 contract that included a $13,099,542 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.
In 2025, Penix appeared in nine games for the Falcons and completed 60.1 percent of his pass attempts for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
We’ll have more on the Falcons’ QB situation as the news becomes available.
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