Tua Tagovailoa is headed to Atlanta.
The former Miami Dolphins quarterback plans to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons after being informed Monday that he will be released by Miami, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The move immediately reshapes the Falcons’ quarterback room and marks the end of Tagovailoa’s six-season run with the Dolphins.
Atlanta enters the 2026 season with major uncertainty at the position, and Tagovailoa now becomes part of the solution. The Falcons already have former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from a torn left ACL suffered during Week 11 last season.
With veteran Kirk Cousins expected to be released before the start of the new league year, the Falcons were widely viewed as a team searching for stability under center. Tagovailoa’s arrival gives Atlanta two left-handed quarterbacks heading into training camp.
The decision to release Tagovailoa comes with enormous financial consequences for Miami. His departure will count as an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money against the salary cap.
The Dolphins are designating the move as a post-June 1 release, which allows the team to spread the cap impact across two seasons—$67.4 million in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027.
Tagovailoa’s exit is notable considering how recently the franchise committed to him long term. The Dolphins signed him to a four-year, $212.4 million extension in 2024 that made him the highest-paid player in team history.
The former Alabama standout had previously led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns and also led the league in completion percentage in 2024.
Questions about his future in Miami began to grow during the 2025 season, when Tagovailoa struggled with inconsistency and was ultimately benched for the final three games after throwing a career-high 15 interceptions.
At the NFL scouting combine earlier this year, Dolphins leadership acknowledged that “everything is on the table” regarding the quarterback’s future.
Outside of football, Tagovailoa had already begun making personal moves that hinted at change.