Executives question Falcons' Kevin Stefanski over Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa decisions

Almost immediately after the Atlanta Falcons hired new head coach Kevin Stefanski, some suggested he could push new team president Matt Ryan to hold onto veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.

The Falcons instead parted ways with Cousins and have since signed former Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa to a team-friendly one-year contract as Michael Penix Jr. continues recovering from the surgery he needed this past fall to repair a partially torn ACL. 

For an article published on Tuesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US spoke with multiple executives about the Falcons basically going from Cousins to Tagovailoa as it pertains to healthy signal-callers on their roster. 

Should Falcons have said "no thanks" to Tua Tagovailoa?

"Kevin’s a sharp guy, but this doesn’t add up," one executive said about the Falcons' handling of their quarterback situation. "Seriously, I am at a loss. Would I have just kept Cousins -- and I know he wants to be paid a lot more than $1M -- yeah, I would have. Look, you know I didn’t like Tua coming out (of college and into the draft), and the last two years, man. No thanks." 

The executive was referencing how Tagovailoa was able to sign a one-year deal for $1.3M because the Dolphins owe him $54M for 2026. Cousins likely won't accept such a contract from any club this spring or summer. 

Cousins previously had Stefanski as a quarterbacks coach and then as an offensive coordinator when they were with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 and 2019. As for Tagovailoa, he committed the third-most turnovers (16) in the league in 2025. He also has a worrisome injury history, particularly as it relates to concussions. 

Would Kirk Cousins be a better fit for new Falcons offense?

ESPN's Bill Barnwell is among NFL analysts who think Tagovailoa is a bad fit for the system preferred by Stefanski and new Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. 

"Cousins can push the ball (downfield) and loves play action," one unnamed general manager told La Canfora. "That’s a better fit for me in this offense…We weren’t going to touch Tua. Too many red flags."

A recent report hinted that "the Falcons view Penix as the starter once he's healthy and Tagovailoa is just there for coverage in case [Penix] isn't ready." Perhaps Ryan thought that moving on from Cousins was needed for the club to fully embrace giving Penix a chance to either sink or swim as a full-time QB1.