Tua Tagovailoa will be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's season opener.
The Falcons announced their decision Monday, ending a months-long competition between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr.
Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Penix, who is recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season, will be inactive in Week 1 while Cooper Rush will serve as Tagovailoa's backup against the Steelers.
Atlanta has had a different Week 1 starter in each of the past six seasons.
The Falcons signed Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million contract in the offseason. He was released in March by the Miami Dolphins, who took on a record $99.2 million in dead cap to part ways with the six-year veteran.
Penix sustained a torn ACL in November 2025 and underwent surgery. He was not cleared for 11-on-11 team periods until the final week of training camp. Tagovailoa started training camp with a tight back and missed the first week of practices, which was a minor setback.
Tagovailoa started two preseason games for the Falcons. He got just nine plays in his first game against the Denver Broncos, but was 7-of-8 for 95 yards in the second against the Dolphins. Tagovailoa fumbled a snap in both of those appearances and was unable to push the ball downfield with regularity, which was also an issue in training camp practices.
Tagovailoa, 28, led the NFL in passing yards (4,624) in 2023 and in completion percentage (72.9%) in 2024. But he struggled with injuries, specifically concussions, and threw 15 interceptions last season. In his career, Tagovailoa has completed 68% of his passes for 18,166 yards with 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions over six seasons.
