The Atlanta Falcons decided to give starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. some veteran backup help as the team agreed on a deal with former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on Monday.
With this deal, though, the Falcons will not be forced to pay a lot of money right now.
Falcons’ Deal With QB Tua Tagovailoa Looks Cost-Effective
As news broke of Tagovailoa’s signing after he became a free agent, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero broke down what it means in a post on X on Monday afternoon.
“Tua will make $54 million this season — almost all of it from the Dolphins,” Pelissero wrote. “Atlanta gets him for the minimum, providing an ideal landing spot after his release from Miami.”
Tua will make $54 million this season — almost all of it from the Dolphins. Atlanta gets him for the minimum, providing an ideal landing spot after his release from Miami. https://t.co/ZlTgax0D1O
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2026
Jonathan Jones, Lead NFL Insider for NFL on CBS, broke down Tagovailoa’s deal with the Falcons in a post on X.
Jones wrote, “The Falcons are signing former Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million deal, sources tell NFLonCBS. The two sides talked today and the signing will be official later this week. It’s lefty vs. lefty in The A.”
The Falcons are signing former Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million deal, sources tell @NFLonCBS. The two sides talked today and the signing will be official later this week. It’s lefty vs. lefty in The A.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 9, 2026
According to Spotrac’s information on Tagovailoa’s contract, “Tua Tagovailoa signed a 4-year, $212,400,000 contract with the Miami Dolphins, including $42,000,000 signing bonus, $167,171,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $53,100,000.
“In 2026, Tagovailoa will earn a base salary of $39,000,000, a signing bonus of $15,000,000 and a workout bonus of $250,000, while carrying a cap hit of $56,267,647 and a dead cap value of $99,200,000,” according to Spotrac.
Since the Dolphins will be taking a dead cap hit of over $99 million for releasing Tagovailoa, the quarterback was a cheap option on the market. Tagovailoa has career NFL earnings of $124,378,454, according to Spotrac.
According to the PFSN NFL QB Impact Metric, which is measured through the regular season, Tagovailoa had an impact score of 72.2 and graded out to a C- for the Dolphins.
In 14 games in the 2025 NFL season, Tagovailoa had a 67.7% pass completion average. He threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdown passes, and 15 interceptions.
Tagovailoa averaged 232.9 passing yards per game that he played in for Miami. Now, though, he’s got a new home and will be a fellow left-handed quarterback in the Falcons’ offensive game plans.
