Tua Tagovailoa Contract Terms
Tua Tagovailoa is heading to Atlanta, agreeing to a one-year minimum contract -- worth $1.3 million -- with the Falcons, according to multiple reports. The deal cannot become official until the beginning of the new league year on Wednesday, following his impending release from the Dolphins with a post-June 1 designation. Miami will absorb an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money against the salary cap. The post-June 1 designation will leave the Dolphins with a $67.4 million dead hit against the salary cap in 2026, followed by $31.8 million in 2027. The move ends Tagovailoa's six seasons in Miami, one year into the franchise-record extension he signed in 2024.
RELATED: See other important player moves here.
Fantasy Football Impact for Tua Tagovailoa with the Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons entered the offseason in the market for a quarterback, with Michael Penix Jr. recovering from a knee injury and Kirk Cousins set to be released before the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
Atlanta's answer at the position is Tagovailoa.
Penix, who was the Falcons' starter last season, went down with a torn left ACL in Week 11. His return date is unclear, though Penix has told reporters that he believes he will be ready for Week 1.
The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after the season. They hired former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham to fill those respective roles. The Falcons also brought in former quarterback Matt Ryan as the president of football -- a new position -- to oversee the head coach and GM.
Ryan said in January that the new front office would have "a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster" when asked about the quarterback position.
Ryan added to that during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, telling listeners his conversations with Penix have focused on attacking his rehab from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in November.
Now, the question isn't just how soon Penix will be cleared to return; it's whether he can earn the starting job when he is.
The Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa with the fifth selection in 2020 after a prolific career at Alabama. He became their full-time starting quarterback in 2021, throwing for 2,653 yards and 16 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Tagovailoa broke out in 2022, his first year with coach Mike McDaniel, throwing for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns while driving a Dolphins attack that finished sixth in total offense.
However, he missed four games after suffering two documented concussions and a third hit to the head that led the NFL to alter its reporting process for concussions.
Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with 4,624 and set a career high with 29 touchdown passes; he played all 18 of Miami's games, including an AFC wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tagovailoa led the league in completion percentage in 2024 but missed a career-high six games with a concussion and a late-season hip injury.
His play was inconsistent throughout the season, and that trend continued into 2025, when he was ultimately benched for the final three games after throwing a career-high 15 interceptions.
At minimum, Tagovailoa finds a soft landing in Atlanta that could include an early opportunity to prove his value in live action and also provides the Falcons with an experienced backup to Penix, who himself has plenty to prove.
Neither of the two should be high on your fantasy radar heading into the summer.
In fact, Penix's current QB28 Average Draft Position is likely to dip slightly, while Tagovailoa's QB36 ADP will rise. But with both well outside QB2 territory, investors can let this play out before rolling the dice on whether a strong supporting cast will be sufficient to get the most out of whoever winds up as Atlanta's starter.
