Tua Tagovailoa's departure left the Miami Dolphins with a historic dead money hill to climb.
That doesn't mean he doesn't have former teammates who still believe in him and are rooting for his success.
Dolphins offensive tackle Patrick Paul is pulling for his former quarterback and predicting a Tagovailoa comeback story as the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons in 2026.
"Him going into Atlanta now, he's got a new situation, a new environment, and I know he's going to go in there," Paul on "The Set" podcast with Terron Armstead. "He's definitely going to win that spot."
Tagovailoa is set to compete for the Falcons' starting quarterback spot with Michael Penix Jr., who's returning from a season-ending knee injury. In that regard, Tagovailoa would seem to have the inside track, though the battle can't truly commence until Penix is healed up and ready to go.
With Kevin Stefanski on board as the Falcons' new head coach, neither QB has previous experience to lean on with their coach.
Of utmost clarity is that Paul believes in Tagovailoa, never mind how poorly things ended for the quarterback, taken No. 5 overall in 2020 by the Fins.
"He's a great player," Paul said. "So, definitely rooting for him."
The NFL passing champion and a Pro Bowler in 2023, Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel seemed like a stellar union. However, things spiraled over the past two years for Miami. Among them, Tagovailoa's injuries mounted and his play waned.
In 2025, he threw for a career-worst 15 interceptions despite playing in only 14 games due to a benching down the stretch by McDaniel, who's now moved on as well and is the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator.
Tagovailoa was released this offseason, presenting new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan with a staggering $99.2 million in dead money -- the wrong kind of NFL record.
As the Dolphins are rebuilding, Paul hasn't changed his view of Tagovailoa after playing with him the past two seasons.
"I know he's going to bounce back from what was last year, and he's going to do his thing over there," Paul said. "So, I'm waiting to see it. Waiting to see his bounce back. For sure. It's all it is. That's all it is. It's just a bounce back. Yeah."
Paul's also a fan of his new quarterback, Malik Willis.
Seemingly a bust with the Tennessee Titans, Willis rewrote the narrative on his career over the past couple years with the Green Bay Packers. He became one of the top free agents this past offseason and joined the Dolphins.
"Malik, no doubt that he's a baller," Paul said, "and I think it's one of the best kept secrets in the NFL right now."
Confident with his predictions, Paul thinks it will be a "big surprise to everybody what he does this year."
Paul, Willis and a largely remade roster are not picked by most to be winners in 2026, but the offensive tackle thinks Miami will shake things up.
Said Paul: "Just expect a team that's going to go out there and shock people."
