Dolphins move on from Tua Tagovailoa, who finds a new home with the Falcons, reuniting him with Alabama ties and adding a unique left-handed spark.
For Alabama fans, the name Tua Tagovailoa still carries a lot of emotion. From the unforgettable national championship 2nd & 26 moment, to rewriting record books in Tuscaloosa, Tagovailoa became one of the most beloved quarterbacks to ever play for the Crimson Tide.
Now, after six seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, the former Alabama star is getting a fresh start.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tagovailoa is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons after being informed Monday that the Dolphins plan to release him.
The move officially closes the chapter on Tagovailoa’s time in Miami, and it’s a complicated ending. The Dolphins will take on an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money against the salary cap as a result of the decision. Miami will designate the release as a post-June 1 move, which allows the team to spread that cap hit across two seasons. That means the Dolphins will absorb roughly $67.4 million in 2026 and another $31.8 million in 2027.
That number surpasses the previous record held by the Denver Broncos after releasing Russell Wilson in 2024.
Still, for Tagovailoa, this next chapter represents opportunity.
Atlanta had been searching for answers at quarterback this offseason. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is still recovering from a knee injury, and veteran Kirk Cousins is expected to be released before the new league year begins. Bringing in Tagovailoa gives the Falcons experience under center and adds an intriguing twist: both he and Penix are left-handed quarterbacks, something rarely seen in an NFL quarterback room.
Tagovailoa entered the league as the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after a legendary career at Alabama. He became Miami’s full-time starter in 2021 and began showing flashes of the quarterback who dominated the SEC.
His true breakout season came in 2022, when he threw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns in Mike McDaniel’s offense while helping power one of the league’s most explosive attacks. But that season also brought serious concerns, as multiple concussions forced him to miss time and sparked league-wide conversations about player safety.
In 2023, Tagovailoa delivered the best season of his professional career. He led the entire NFL with 4,624 passing yards, threw 29 touchdowns, and guided Miami to the playoffs. That performance earned him a massive four-year, $212.4 million extension, making him the highest-paid player in Dolphins franchise history at the time.
However, the momentum didn’t last.
Injuries once again became a storyline. Tagovailoa missed six games in 2024 due to a concussion and a hip injury late in the season. While he still led the league in completion percentage that year, consistency became an issue.
The struggles continued in 2025, when he threw a career-high 15 interceptions and was eventually benched for the final three games of the season.
From that moment on, questions about his long-term future in Miami grew louder.
Now the Dolphins have officially decided to move on.
For Tagovailoa, though, the story isn’t over.
The Falcons offer him something every quarterback wants: a chance to reset, compete, and prove that he can still be a difference-maker in this league. And if there’s one thing Alabama fans know, it’s that Tagovailoa has never been afraid of a challenge.
From a backup freshman stepping onto the field in the national championship game, to becoming one of the most electric passers in college football history, Tua has built his career on proving people wrong.
Atlanta is simply the next chapter.
And if history tells us anything, it would be a mistake to count him out.
Roll Tide.