December 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the ball in the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Image Multiple media outlets are reporting that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was informed Monday morning that he will be released by the Miami Dolphins when the new NFL year begins Wednesday and will sign a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons are expected to release veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins before the start of the new NFL year, giving the team a pair of left-handed signal callers alongside Michael Penix Jr. Penix is recovering from a knee injury, so it’s still unknown who Atlanta’s center will be in Week 1.
Entering his third season, Penix (the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft) tore his left ACL in Week 11 but told reporters he will be ready for the season opener.
After Penix went down, Cousins took over and led Atlanta to four straight wins and an 8-9 record, but the team missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season.
Once his deal becomes official, Tagovailoa will join the team under new leadership. Former Falcons QB Matt Ryan was named the organization’s president of football to oversee the head coach and general manager, with Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham taking on their respective roles. Atlanta coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot were fired after the 2025 season.
Cutting Tagovailoa would cost the Dolphins an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money compared to the salary cap, but the move is earmarked for after June 1 primarily for accounting purposes. Dead money can be split across two seasons. The Dolphins will lose $67.4 million against the salary cap in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027.
The Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick in 2020, hoping he would be their quarterback long-term. He was the second QB the Cincinnati Bengals took Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick, and was selected ahead of Justin Herbert, who went with the No. 6 pick to the Los Angeles Chargers.
In 2023, Tagovailoa was selected to the Pro Bowl after leading Miami to an 11-6 record and throwing for an NFL-high 4,624 yards.
It was the only season in which he played every game, suffering from multiple concussions and other injuries, including to his hip.
Nonetheless, in July 2024, the Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension scheduled to run through the 2028 season.
He fell out of favor last season and former coach Mike McDaniel benched him for three games in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. Through the first 14 games, Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to a 6-8 record and had a career-high 15 interceptions to 20 touchdowns.
–Field level media
