Per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the Falcons will have an “open competition” at quarterback between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. when Penix is healthy.
Tagovailoa is likely to open the offseason as the starter as Penix recovers from a partially torn ACL, but Wolfe says it’s possible Penix will be back at some point during camp to make his case for Week 1.
Wolfe also mentioned part of the reason they targeted Tagovailoa was to add competition for Penix.
Tagovailoa, 27, 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. He was released by Miami this past offseason and signed 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.
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