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The Tua Tagovailoa era for the Atlanta Falcons might be over before it ever really starts.
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Tagovailoa agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons in the offseason after being released by the Miami Dolphins. He’s coming off a 2025 season where he had 2,660 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Since Michael Penix Jr. is still recovering from a torn ACL, Tagovailoa was on track to be the Week 1 starter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. During Wednesday’s practice, however, he went down with an oblique injury.
“During the open media portion of practice, Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa touched his back and sat down on the grass briefly during individual drills Thursday,” said ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “It was unclear exactly what had happened. He didn’t seem to throw again after, but media only gets to watch a small portion of practice.”
On Friday afternoon, the Falcons ruled out Tagovailoa for their season opener. Cooper Rush will officially get the start against the Steelers.
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To make matters worse for Tagovailoa, he’s currently listed as week-to-week.
Should Tua walk away from the NFL?
Tagovailoa, 28, has already dealt with concussion concerns over the past few years. Now that he’s dealing with an oblique injury, some fans are wondering if we’ve seen the last of him in the NFL.
“Tua needs to retire,” one fan said.
“Falcons just ruled out Tua for Week 1,” a second fan commented. “He needs to retire.”
“I hate that I am saying this but …. Tua needs to retire,” an Alabama fan wrote on X. “I hate it.”
“Tua done. He needs to retire. Focus on health and family,” another fan replied.
We have our doubts about Tagovailoa retiring before his 30s. Make no mistake though, fans are worried about his long-term health.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 10:43 AM.