The Atlanta Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa as a free agent during the 2026 NFL offseason, ending his polarizing run with the Miami Dolphins. He will get to start for his new team and take on his former one in the final week of preseason, and one former Dolphins wideout is encouraging the fans to boo him.
Dolphins Fans Urged to Boo Tua Tagovailoa in His Return to Miami
O.J. McDuffie spent eight years as a wide receiver for the Dolphins and currently works in the media. He recently discussed the situation of Tagovailoa returning to Miami in his final preseason with the Falcons this year and encouraged fans to boo their former quarterback.
“We boo every opposing quarterback; you should boo every opposing quarterback,” explained McDuffie. “This should be an extra boo because it’s one of our boo-boos… We didn’t like Tua at the beginning, then we loved him, then he was boo-boo at the end of what he did here, and he’s holding us hostage for $100 million right now. Definitely should be booed when it comes to him coming out.”
I meant that!!! pic.twitter.com/8CJYmWmisz
— OJ McDuffie (@ojmcduffie81) August 27, 2026
Tagovailoa was released by the Dolphins during the 2026 NFL offseason, a move that will cost the franchise $99 million in dead cap space over the next two years.
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McDuffie pointed to this as one of the key reasons Miami fans should enthusiastically boo their former quarterback, as well as his decline on the field.
His final season with the Dolphins last year resulted in him finishing just 28th among all quarterbacks in PFN’s QB Impact Rankings. This is a significant drop-off from his previous four years, when he ranked among the top 12 in each season. His massively disappointing 2025 campaign also included a career-high 15 interceptions.
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The franchise will now pay him $54 million to play for a different team this season because of the guaranteed portion of his contract that they gave him. This allowed him to sign a $1.3 million, one-year contract with the Falcons.
In Atlanta, he will compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting quarterback role, as neither option has given the team confidence leading up to their Week 1 opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tagovailoa has been unimpressive in his preseason performances so far, as Penix continues to work his way back from a knee injury. The latter appeared in nine games last year, throwing for just nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
