Tagovailoa taking ‘day-to-day’ approach as long-term QB questions loom

FLOWERY BRANCH — Tua Tagovailoa spent his final weekend before the regular season begins still awaiting his fate in the Falcons’ summerlong quarterback competition.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski sat down Tagovailoa, then the rest of the quarterbacks, on Monday morning and delivered news that the 28-year-old signal-caller would lead the team’s offense in Sunday’s season opener against the Steelers.

“I mean, I’m very blessed, very fortunate,” Tagovailoa told reporters Wednesday. “Playing in the NFL, this is what you want to do to be able to start. Unfortunately, there’s only one person that can do that at our position. That’s just how the position works in this league.

“So, love our guys in our quarterback room, and I love the relationships we’ve been able to build throughout OTAs and then throughout training camp and going into this first weekend of the season.”

Tagovailoa added he has a “great relationship” with Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush and Jack Strand, a continuation of Stefanski’s remarks Monday about the quarterback clan’s collective camaraderie. Rush will be the backup Sunday in Pittsburgh, while Penix, who’s 9½ months removed from tearing his left ACL, will be inactive.

But the Falcons’ quarterback rotation is unsettled moving forward. Stefanski declined to speculate on Penix’s role once fully ready to return, and Tagovailoa isn’t looking long term with his starting tag.

“I got to go with this day-to-day,” Tagovailoa said. “And that’s out of my control. What I can control is how I prepare, how I go out there, how I play, how I perform, and that’s all I can do.”

There’s a semblance of redemption facing Tagovailoa, who’s entering the same site — Acrisure Stadium — as his 76th and final start with the Dolphins. Miami benched Tagovailoa after a 28-15 loss Dec. 15 in Pittsburgh last winter.

For a moment Wednesday, Tagovailoa allowed himself to reflect upon his final season with the Dolphins, a trying campaign where he feels his decision-making faltered, his turnover rate spiked and his general performance level fell below his standard.

Tagovailoa signed with the Falcons, hoping to get another chance to start in the NFL. No matter how long his leash or runway in Atlanta, he’ll get the opportunity Sunday — and he’s eager to seize the moment.

Falcons quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. (left) and Tua Tagovailoa share a laugh during practice on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Flowery Branch. While Tagovailoa is set to start Sunday, the Falcons’ quarterback rotation is unsettled moving forward. (Mike Stewart/AP)

“For myself and what I believe, I don’t have anything to prove to anyone outside,” Tagovailoa said. “But it’s to prove to my own self that I can continue to play at a high level.”

Stefanski said he wants to see each of his players, Tagovailoa included, show they have a strong grasp of the game plan and put on the field everything they’ve worked on this offseason.

The Falcons loaded their players’ plates on Wednesday, their biggest install practice of the week, and their quarterbacks receive a wealth of information to process.

Stats and efficiency aside, how Tagovailoa transfers the installation process onto the practice field and into Sunday afternoon will be one of Stefanski’s biggest focuses.

“It’s their ability in the week to trust their routine,” Stefanski said, “and really own the game plan.”

Establishing the run figures to be a key part of the Falcons’ attack against the Steelers’ defense, which boasts a stout front seven. Tagovailoa wants to find a rhythm in the pass game and make life easier for running back Bijan Robinson, and Stefanski said the team will lean toward a balanced attack.

Robinson, meanwhile, wants to lift stress off Tagovailoa’s shoulders.

“That’s the standard that we set here,” Robinson said. “It doesn’t matter who’s at quarterback, as long as they trust us in that run game and the guys up front. My job is to make them look good, but then Tua has to know that’s what we’re here to do so it can make it easier on him.”

Leaning on a strong supporting cast, Robinson said, shouldn’t be uncharted territory for Tagovailoa, who played with a deep group of skill position players with the Dolphins.

Chemistry between Robinson and Tagovailoa began shortly after Tagovailoa signed with the team — Robinson sent him a message right after seeing the news — and has evolved through conversations about angles, timing and rhythm.

Tagovailoa shares those discussions with his pass-catchers, too, and it’s created internal optimism about where the Falcons’ aerial attack stands entering Week 1.

“It’s just him having that trust in us,” Robinson said. “When he puts the ball in our hands, that’s when we got to use our God-given talent and make it happen, because that’s what we’re supposed to do, and he’s aware of it. It’s cool that he can give us the ball anywhere on the field and trust us to make a play.”

While Tagovailoa fights to resurrect his career Sunday, the quarterback on the opposite sideline — Aaron Rodgers — is headed for his final Week 1 start. Tagovailoa marveled at Rodgers’ longevity, but he hasn’t let his mind ponder if he can chart a similar path.

Tagovailoa is hyperfocused on the present — not his plans for next season, let alone how long he wants to play for — and maximizing the stage the Falcons have given him.

Tagovailoa evidently holds remorse over the way his Dolphins tenure ended. A new chapter begins Sunday. He holds the red-and-black pen in his left hand. He believes his first words will be fruitful.

“The expectations I put on myself every time is to go out there and score one more point than the opposing team,” Tagovailoa said. “For me, that entails me doing my job, making sure I’m getting into the right looks if we have run plays, getting into the right looks if we have pass plays based off what the defense has given us.