New NFL Rumors on Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. 'Open Competition' for Falcons' QB1 Job

There will reportedly be a quarterback competition for the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta made headlines Monday when it agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million deal with Tua Tagovailoa, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, and added him to a quarterback room that already features Michael Penix Jr.

While Penix is recovering from a torn ACL, the two signal-callers are apparently heading toward a battle for the starting role.

"From my understanding, once Michael Penix is healthy, this will be an open competition for the starting job," NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported Tuesday. "They prioritized signing Tua, in part, because they wanted competition for Michael Penix. They wanted a little bit more urgency out of him. To be able to give him a little kick in the butt in the competition department."

Neither quarterback was great last season, with Tagovailoa throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and going 6-8 as a starter before he was benched. Penix went 3-6 as a starter before the injury.

The Miami Dolphins decided to move on from Tagovailoa, although they are still facing a $99.2 million dead money charge for him that will be split across two years.

It's costing the Falcons much less money to have him on the roster in a low-risk, short-term addition. Perhaps he will rediscover his form from when he was a Pro Bowler who led the league with 4,624 passing yards in 2023, which could open the door to discussions about a long-term deal.

Or perhaps he will struggle again and just be a one-year commitment or backup to Penix.

As for Penix, the Falcons used the No. 8 overall pick on him during the 2024 NFL draft and surely hope he can eventually live up to the expectations that he would become the franchise quarterback.

Yet injuries and inconsistent play have prevented him from doing so, which is how he has ended up in an open competition with Tagovailoa heading into the 2026 campaign for a team with no shortage of offensive weapons and realistic aspirations of winning an NFC South title.

But winning the division will require improved quarterback play from whoever wins the battle for the position.