After six up-and-down years, the Miami Dolphins moved on from Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback and replaced him with Malik Willis on a three-year, $67.5 million contract earlier this offseason.
While Dolphins fans will be glued to watching their team in 2026, some will also be checking in on the Atlanta Falcons to see how Tagovailoa performs with his new team, as he takes over for Michael Penix.
Interestingly, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay recently identified Tagovailoa as a dark-horse candidate to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2026.
“Given Atlanta is in the midst of the NFL’s second-longest active playoff drought and has a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, it would be rather surprising if Tagovailoa doesn’t usurp the incumbent in training camp,” Kay wrote. “The new regime isn’t tied to the last’s controversial first-round pick and wants to hit the ground running—the same way Stefanski stepped in and helped the Cleveland Browns reach the playoffs in his first season six years ago…
“Tagovailoa’s 45-1 odds for Comeback Player of the Year are simply too alluring to ignore. While fellow veteran castoff Kyler Murray is in a similar situation after being released from the Arizona Cardinals and landing with the Minnesota Vikings, he represents a far worse value at +550 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year award.”
The 28-year-old had some solid seasons while in Miami, and injuries may have kept him from finding sustained success with the Dolphins, so while fans have mixed feelings about the quarterback, some would probably be happy to see him turn it around and receive some recognition.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Former Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa named candidate for major NFL award
