By Field Level Media
Sep 07 (Field Level Media) – The Atlanta Falcons will start Tua Tagovailoa in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
He will be the sixth different Week 1 starter for the Falcons in six seasons.
Tagovailoa, 28, got the Week 1 nod over the 2025 starter, Michael Penix Jr., who tore an ACL last November and was not cleared for full practice until the final week of training camp.
The Falcons are giving Penix some more time in his recovery, being careful with him. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Cooper Rush will back up Tagovailoa against the Steelers, and Penix will be inactive.
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees gave Tagovailoa words of support during camp.
“I think the biggest thing that you can tell is he’s a veteran,” Rees said, per the Falcons’ team website. “He can see the field really well, and if the defense makes a mistake, he can see that and exploit it.”
The Miami Dolphins selected Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He appeared in 78 games (76 starts) and compiled a 44-32 record as a starter, completing 68% of his passes for 18,166 yards, 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions.
Despite the winning record, he led the Dolphins to just one playoff game — in 2023, when they finished 11-6 and Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated Miami 26-7 in the wild-card round.
Last season, Tagovailoa was 6-8 and threw for just 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 picks.
The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July 2024, despite an injury history that included multiple concussions. They released him in March, leaving them with a record $99.2 million in dead cap space.
The Falcons decided to take a chance on Tagovailoa, signing him to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.
Penix, 26, was taken by the Falcons with the No. 8 overall pick in 2024. Later that season, he replaced veteran Kirk Cousins as the starter and was entrenched in the position entering the 2025 season before the injury.
In all, Penix has appeared in 14 games (12 starts) and completed 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards and 12 TDs with six interceptions.
Rush, 32, spent seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before playing for the Baltimore Ravens in 2025. A career backup, Rush has appeared in 42 games, starting 16. He is 9-7 as a starter and has thrown for 3,766 yards with 20 TDs and 14 interceptions.
The Falcons finished last season at 8-9 and replaced head coach Raheem Morris with former Cleveland Browns head coach Stefanski.
For the Steelers, 10-7 in 2025, Aaron Rodgers returns at quarterback for what he said will be his final season. He was reunited with his former head coach, Mike McCarthy, who replaced longtime coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin stepped away from coaching and is now working for NBC Sports.
(–Field Level Media)
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