Atlanta Falcons GM Dishes on Roles for QBs Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr.

FLOWERY BRANCH – Head coach Kevin Stefanski said plainly at the NFL Combine that this team is not in the business of handing out starting jobs in February. A quarterback battle between Tua Tagovailoa and the Atlanta Falcons’ incumbent starter, Michael Penix Jr., has long been speculated, but Ian Cunningham confirmed the reports on Friday.

“For Tua coming in here, he knows he's coming in to compete, just like Michael knows that he's coming in to compete," Cunningham explained during his virtual news conference on Friday morning. “ And everybody, quite frankly, not just those two at the quarterback position, but everybody's coming in to compete.”

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The Falcons signed the former Miami Dolphins quarterback to a one-year, $1.3 million deal, pending a physical. Tagovailoa, 28, completed 68% of his passes for 18,166 yards with 120 touchdown passes and 59 interceptions in his six-year career. He led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 and brought the Dolphins to two playoff appearances.

He was 44-32 as a starter, but injuries plagued him over the last two, leading to his eventual release.

Penix, 25, has made just 12 career starts for the Falcons, where he is just 4-8. He has completed 59.6% of his passes over those games for 2,757 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Cunningham was clear that all parties were aware of these moves, and he confirmed that Stefanski notified Penix that they were adding Tagovailoa in free agency with the intention of having a quarterback battle.

“You don't want to blindside somebody, and that's just how we operate,” Cunningham said. “We want to have open conversations and communication, and I feel like we did that in regards to Michael and Tua.”

With Penix set to return from a torn ACL at some point over the summer, Tagovailoa is set to take the Falcons’ reps at QB1 for the next several months. He will lead the team through OTAs and all offseason activities before the two will engage in the first quarterback battle at Flowery Branch since the franchise drafted Matt Ryan in 2008.

The previous regime was adamant that Penix would retain the position, but that is clearly not the case with the new regime – and that goes with every position, said Cunningham.

“There are no starters right now,” he said. “We’re excited to have Tua, but we were excited about all the players that we were able to get during this free agent class.”

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