Five months after the Miami Dolphins cut Tua Tagovailoa and the Atlanta Falcons picked him up, the star quarterback returned to Hard Rock Stadium on Friday. Playing the opening quarter, Tagovailoa orchestrated a touchdown drive but coughed up a fumble, as the Falcons went on to edge the Dolphins 17-12.
Aug 28, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the field at the end of a pre season game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn ImagesTagovailoa was greeted with boos from the Miami crowd as he took the field. Nonetheless, the 28-year-old was efficient in his three drives, completing 7-of-8 passes for 95 yards on the turf where he spent his first six NFL seasons.
Tua Tagovailoa’s Reaction on Getting BooedTagovailoa speaks out on the cold reception and boos from Miami fans:
“Well, of course I did,” Tagovailoa said. But you know, needless to say, like being able to come back here, like I’ve had six years here. And those were probably some of the best six years of my life”.
“So, regardless of the reaction, I love the city,” he added. “Like it’s this is we have a home out here. Like we still have our house and whatnot, but I mean it is what it is.
“I can’t change any of what they did and whatnot, but it was really cool to see a lot of the guys after the game and then, talk to some of the guys during the game. So, it was a cool homecoming, if you will.”
Tua Tagovailoa on coming back to Miami and if he heard the boos from the Hard Rock Stadium crowd:
"Of course I did. I've had 6 years here, and those are probably some of the best 6 years of my life… regardless of the reaction, I love the city." (@AtlantaFalcons) #PhinsUppic.twitter.com/n7qZXUKDud
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) August 29, 2026
“It wasn’t fun being in my position, but outside of that, I wasn’t playing up to the standard I had been playing in years past,” he added. “You have to be real with yourself… Hafley and Sully were really good in that process with me.”
HC Kevin Stefanski Speaks on Tua Tagovailoa“Tua is a pro I thought he handled the game really well,” Stefanski said. “There’s a lot of emotion and I’m sure that comes when you come back into a place that you’ve been before and he compartmentalized it”
Tagovailoa has bonded deeply with defender Chop Robinson during his final months as a Dolphin. Per Local 10, Robinson said,
“Honestly, I feel like getting to know him, talk to him every day, just after practice, before practice. He was asking about my family and stuff like that. So really a great dude, and I miss him.”
In March, Tagovailoa signed a modest one-year, $1.215 million deal with Atlanta, a staggering drop from the massive four-year, $212.4 million extension ($167M guaranteed) he signed with Miami back in 2024. He joins the Falcons quarterback room where young QB Michael Penix Jr. is recovering from an ACL tear.
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