Atlanta Falcons Linked to Polarizing Quarterback Option for 2026

The Atlanta Falcons are set to be a fascinating team this offseason. The quarterback questions surrounding the franchise will be interesting enough, but they could also be an active trade and acquisition team this offseason.

As the NFL Combine comes to an end in Indianapolis, the Falcons and the rest of the NFL are in the thick of the rumor mill season. Draft coverage is about to go into overdrive, while free agency is just over a week away, so talking season is set to take off.

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As much as the Combine serves to highlight the next generation of players, it is also a time for general managers to discuss roster moves and the media to gather intel. ESPN’s national reporters Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler spoke to execs, coaches, agents, scouts, players, and other team sources to learn more about what could happen in the coming weeks.

This duo of reporters identified one interesting nugget near the end of their piece, highlighting the Falcons as a team to watch for veteran quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“Something an NFL head coach said to me, unsolicited: 'Watch for Tua [Tagovailoa] in Atlanta,’” they wrote.

Tagovailoa has been at the forefront of pundit discussions over the last several weeks. He signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in 2024, but the Miami Dolphins do not see him in the future of their new-look franchise. They have reportedly discussed trades with teams, but are expected to release Tagovailoa by the third day of the league year, when $3 million of his 2027 salary would become fully guaranteed.

His dead cap hit would be a gigantic ($99.2 million in 2026), but he would then be free to find a new team on a ‘prove-it’ deal. Assuming it could be an affordable contract, the Falcons could be considered a logical landing spot.

Michael Penix Jr. is still recovering from a torn ACL, and any timeline for a return to action is not publicly known. The Falcons’ brass have been adamant that they believe in their young quarterback, but his injury history leaves a bit of well-warranted concern.

However, it is not like Tagovailoa is not also known for being injury-prone in his own right. He dislocated a hip and suffered high-ankle sprains in 2019 (his final year at Alabama), and has only finished one season in which he played every game (2023). Tagovailoa had a thumb injury in 2020, fractured ribs and a finger in 2021, and suffered concussions in 2022 and 2024. He was then benched in 2025 for poor performance.

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In his lone full season, Tagovailoa was named to the Pro Bowl after leading the Dolphins to the playoffs, throwing for a career-high 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. That season earned him his massive contract extension that offseason.

With the Falcons ushering in a new era with Ian Cunningham at general manager and Kevin Stefanski at head coach, the next several weeks and months will be filled with opportunities to see what this franchise could be in the years to come.

The next moves will be important, not just for 2026 but for the years after that, as the Falcons look to snap an eight-year playoff drought. If the Falcons can get Tagovailoa to Atlanta on a team-friendly deal, he could prove to be a low-risk, high-reward option for them.