Falcons name Tua Tagovailoa starting quarterback to begin season

The Atlanta Falcons have named Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback, ending the NFL’s longest quarterback competition, at least for now.

Tagovailoa, 28, will make his 77th regular season start on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He came to Atlanta on a one-year contract for the Patriots’ minimum salary ($1.2 million) this offseason after six years in Miami. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023 but was released after two seasons despite a nearly $100 million hit to the Dolphins.

Tagovailoa beat out Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons’ No. 8 pick in 2024, for the starting job, but Penix is ​​still expected to have a chance to pass Tagovailoa at some point this season. Pennix, 26, suffered a torn ACL in Week 11 last year and was cleared only for 11-on-11 practice on Aug. 24.

Tagovailoa missed the first week of training camp with back spasms and struggled in the first few weeks of practice, but Atlanta’s coaches remained optimistic about his progress.

“Going through camp, you start doing what every quarterback does well, and you want to plan on how they’re going to play the offense and what’s going to fit their vision,” offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said of Tagovailoa.

The decision to go with Tagovailoa limits Atlanta’s ability to throw the ball down the field due to a relative lack of arm strength compared to Penix. But Tagovailoa was the more accurate of the two quarterbacks with a 68 percent career completion percentage.

“When things are clean, they know he’s right,” Rees said.

The Falcons will have a big incentive to start Pennix this offseason because he is halfway through his rookie contract, and the team has yet to pick up his fifth-year option that covers the 2028 season.