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Lefty quarterbacks are an extreme rarity in the NFL, but not in Atlanta: The Falcons are signing Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million deal according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Tagovailoa will join fellow lefty Michael Penix Jr. as new coach Kevin Stefanski's quarterbacks.

Tagovailoa didn't have to wait long to find his new home. The Dolphins had long been expected to release Tagovailoa -- the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- and officially did so Monday morning. Tagovailoa, who signed a four-year, $212.4 million deal in 2024, is costing Miami a record $99 million in dead cap over the next two seasons. He is also due $54 million guaranteed for 2026 from Miami, making it possible for the Falcons to sign him on such a cheap deal.

A similar situation played out in 2024, when the Broncos parted ways with Russell Wilson. He then played on a league-minimum deal for the Steelers while receiving $39 million from Denver.

For more 2026 NFL free agency coverage

Tagovailoa, who just turned 28, was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft after starring at Alabama. After a slow start to his career, he began to thrive under Mike McDaniel; Tagovailoa led the NFL in yards per attempt and touchdown rate in 2022, led the NFL in passing yards (and made the Pro Bowl) in 2023 and led the NFL in completion percentage in 2024.

However, he suffered several concussions along the way, and while the good moments were very good, the rough moments were very rough in McDaniels' motion-heavy, timing-based offense. McDaniel benched Tagovailoa in December, and the writing was on the wall.

Atlanta will hope Stefanski can help revive Tagovailoa's career in a low-risk, potentially high-reward move. Penix is coming off a season-ending ACL tear and has made just 12 starts in two seasons -- with mixed results at best -- since being selected eighth overall in 2024. The Falcons have gone 8-9 each of the past two seasons.

Stage set for Tagovailoa vs. Penix 

The alacrity with which Stefanski, GM Ian Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan jumped on Tagovailoa suggests there will be a legitimate quarterback battle in Atlanta. All three are new to the organization this offseason, meaning they have no ties to Penix. They now have some ties -- though, again, very low-stakes ones -- to Tagovailoa. At the very, very least, this gives them options going forward.

And that's important, because Penix hasn't shown anything to suggest he should just waltz into the starting role in 2026. The Falcons started the 2024 season with Kirk Cousins but made the switch to Penix late in the year. They started the 2025 season with Penix before he got hurt and Cousins took over the reigns. But the two weren't all that different in terms of effectiveness. Penix was more aggressive downfield and took sacks at a lower rate, but he was also far less accurate. Both players averaged 7.2 yards per attempt. Penix's 0.03 expected points added per dropback was basically the same as Cousins (0.02). The Falcons are moving on from Cousins.

They haven't moved on from Penix yet, but Tagovailoa could change that. Interestingly, they are two very different quarterbacks. Penix wants to sit in the pocket and let the ball rip downfield. His 8.9 air yards per attempt is tied for the highest mark in the NFL in the past two seasons (min. 150 dropbacks). Tagovailoa's 6.2 is the lowest. In McDaniel's offense, he has always wanted to get the ball out of his hands quickly; his 2.48 seconds average time to throw was also lowest in the league.

Still, Tagovailoa offers some high-level accuracy Penix is yet to show consistently. Some of that was baked into the easy answers McDaniel gave his quarterback, but even taking out screens, Tagovailoa's 10.9% off-target rate was far lower than Penix's 14.7%, which is one of the higher marks over the past two years.

Stefanski likely wants a quarterback who can handle both under-center and shotgun snaps (Tagovailoa has more experience here, though still not much) and can operate off of traditional under-center play action designs. Tagovailoa's ability to handle the ball well off a bevy of fakes and motions could come in handy.

Low risk for Atlanta

Though pairing Tagovailoa and Penix together for a quarterback battle may sound intriguing -- both were college stars with unusual paths, both were first-round picks, and both have dealt with injuries -- this doesn't project to be the world's most impactful quarterback battle. Tagovailoa's 2025 play was poor, and he hasn't shown the ability to thrive outside McDaniel's uniquely quarterback-friendly system. Even in that system, he had major struggles, especially when his first option wasn't available.

The Falcons would love to make "the jump." No one likes going 7-10 three straight years and then 8-9 two straight years while investing first-round picks at running back (Bijan Robinson), wide receiver (Drake London), tight end (Kyle Pitts) and defensive end (James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker).

But that's what Atlanta's done, and unless Stefanski can work true magic or the Falcons can benefit from playing in the weak NFC South, this again looks like a middling team, one without a first-round pick in 2026. Perhaps, with several playmakers and a good offensive line around him, Tagovailoa can provide a slight upgrade. If he doesn't, it's no harm, no foul -- though continued frutration for Falcons faithful. There's a strong chance, based on what they've shown, that neither Penix nor Tagovailoa is the answer, and Atlanta looks to give Stefanski his pick of what could be a very good 2027 quarterback crop.