Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa gets honest about his recent release by the team that drafted him.
The Miami Dolphins made a difficult decision earlier this offseason when they released their long-time starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.
It was a move that many anticipated, though it was far from easy for the organization. With a new regime in place, the Dolphins made it clear that moving on from Tagovailoa was part of their rebuilding process.
The Dolphins will look to start fresh, and so will Tagovailoa, who landed himself a deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The southpaw quarterback has a chance to be the starter for the Falcons this fall.
Atlanta introduced Tagovailoa on Tuesday, and the former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback got honest about his departure from Miami. On a Zoom call, Tagovailoa made it clear that he did not play to his standard last season, which led to his release.
"I don't want to get too much in depth with things that were going on, more so in terms of players to coaches than it was players to players. It was unique in a sense," Tagovailoa said.
“If you’re looking at last year, my play wasn’t up to the standard of the way I’ve been playing football the past, what, three years since the new contract. So, just got to play better football. That’s what that really means. There’s no other way to sugarcoat that or go around that.”
It was a rough go for Tagovailoa in 2025. In 14 games, he completed 260 completions for a completion percentage of 67.7 percent, 2,660 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, a QBR of 37.5 (the worst of his career) and a passer rating of 88.5.
Tagovailoa was ultimately benched for the final three games of the regular season due to turnovers, health concerns and decision-making issues.
The former No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft will have a chance for the starting job in Atlanta. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said earlier in the month that Tagovailoa will have an opportunity to compete at quarterback with fellow southpaw Michael Penix Jr. after he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in November.
“For Tua coming in here, he knows he’s coming in to compete, just like Michael knows he’s coming in to compete. Quite frankly, not just those two at the quarterback position, but everybody’s coming in to compete,” Cunningham said. “We’re excited to have Tua, but we’re excited to have all the players that we were able to get in this free agent class.”
Tagovailoa finished his Dolphins career with a 44-32 record in 78 games and 76 starts.