Falcons Could Have Pulled off One of the NFL’s Smartest Signings

Could Tua Tagovailoa end up going down as one of the NFL's best offseason acquisitions for the Atlanta Falcons?

Could Tua Tagovailoa end up going down as one of the NFL's best offseason acquisitions for the Atlanta Falcons? | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons made one of the more intriguing and overlooked moves of the offseason when they signed veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.2 million veteran minimum contract in March. Following the release of Kirk Cousins, Atlanta needed another quarterback on the roster alongside Michael Penix Jr., and they landed a former Pro Bowler for pennies.

On Wednesday, Bleacher Report analyst Alex Kay highlighted five under-the-radar offseason moves that could have major impacts in 2026, placing the Falcons’ signing of Tagovailoa at the top of the list.

The appeal is obvious: Atlanta acquired a quarterback with a history of production for one of the cheapest deals imaginable.

“No deal agreed to during the 2026 offseason- or any other offseason in recent memory- offers a better cost-to-upside ratio than the one-year, $1.2 million contract that Tua Tagovailoa signed with the Atlanta Falcons.” Kay wrote.

Tagovailoa enters camp competing with Penix, who started nine games for the Falcons in 2025 before suffering a partially torn ACL in a Week 11 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. Penix’s injury history stretches back to college, and Kay questioned whether Atlanta can fully rely on the former first-round pick moving forward.

“With Penix coming off yet another knee injury and having a career-long history of health concerns, the Falcons can’t feel confident that their 2024 first-round pick is a long-term solution under center. Even if he does manage to stay healthy, his on-field performances have left much to be desired over his first two NFL seasons,” he wrote.

Ironically, Tagovailoa has battled with durability concerns of his own throughout his NFL career, most notably his lengthy concussion history. However, he has seen some success in the league as well.

In 2023, Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards while completing nearly 70% of his passes. He also threw 29 touchdowns while posting a 101.1 passer rating and earning a Pro Bowl nod.

The Falcons have spent the last four seasons trying to find stability at the quarterback position since Matt Ryan’s departure ahead of the 2022 season. Despite investing heavily in offensive weapons, Atlanta has yet to find a signal-caller capable of maximizing the offense.

Kay believes that the missing piece could be Tagovailoa, if he can rediscover his Pro Bowl form. 

“Atlanta boasts one of the best supporting casts in the league, a group headlined by a trio of Round 1 skill-position stars in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. This triumvirate’s missing link is a competent signal-caller capable of syncing up the offense, a piece the team hopes it has found in Tagovailoa,” he wrote.

There are still significant questions attached to the move. Tagovailoa must first beat out Penix for the starting job and then prove that he can stay healthy over the course of a full season. But for just $1.2 million, the Falcons took a very low-risk swing on a quarterback with Pro Bowl talent, a gamble that could have tremendous upside in the 2026 season. 

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