Tagovailoa, 28, signed a one-year, $1.215 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason after being released by the Miami Dolphins on March 11th.

The Dolphins took on $99.2 million in dead money after releasing Tagovailoa, who signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July 2024.

Tagovailoa started 25 of 34 games over the past two seasons, throwing for 39 passing touchdowns and 22 interceptions, 15 of which came in 2025. His 5,527 passing yards ranked 21st among all NFL quarterbacks over a two-year span.

After signing with the Falcons, Tagovailoa appeared in two preseason games, collecting 117 passing yards and no touchdowns on 10/18 passing, while losing two fumbles.

The Hawaii native will be the sixth different Week 1 starter for the Falcons in six years, following in the footsteps of Matt Ryan, Marcos Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix Jr.

The former Alabama Sooner will start ahead of 2024 first-rounder Michael Penix Jr., who continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in November 2025. Penix, who will be inactive in Week 1, did not play in the preseason and only took part in 11-on-11 practice in late August.

Former Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand are the other two quarterbacks on the Falcons' 53-man roster.

The Atlanta Falcons, who finished third in the NFC South with an 8-9 record in the 2025 NFL season, open their 2026 season with a road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.