Tua Tagovailoa is calling a spade a spade when it comes to his own play.
The new Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tagovailoa spoke with reporters on Tuesday for the first time since signing with the team. During his remarks, Tagovailoa got brutally honest and admitted that he failed to live up to expectations last season, particularly in the context of his big contract.
“If you’re looking at last year, my play wasn’t up to the standard of the way I’ve been playing football in the past three years since the new contract,” Tagovailoa said. “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.”
The former NFL passing yards leader Tagovailoa, 28, signed a monstrous four-year, $212.4 contract extension with the Miami Dolphins in 2024. But he was an abject disaster for the Dolphins in 2025, going 6-8 as the starter with 20 touchdowns to 15 interceptions (plus another two fumbles lost). Tagovailoa was eventually benched before the end of the season, and the Dolphins ended up eating a record $99.2 million in dead money to release Tagovailoa earlier this month.
Days later, the ex-Pro Bowler Tagovailoa signed in free agency with the Falcons, earning a one-year deal. He is expected to compete for Atlanta’s starting QB position in 2026, especially with Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from a partial ACL tear.
Tagovailoa turned off many fans down the stretch of last season with some of his excuses for his poor play. But now that Tagovailoa is getting a change of scenery with the Falcons, it appears that his excuse-making is finally over.
