The Miami Dolphins hosted the Atlanta Falcons for their preseason finale on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium, which also meant that they welcomed former starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back for his first game against his old team.
Miami moved on from Tagovailoa this offseason after six seasons and took on a huge dead cap hit just to sign Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million deal to take his place.
Tagovailoa is still trying to earn the starting job in Atlanta, so he started on Friday, and when he took the field, Dolphins fans let out a chorus of boos. The former first-round pick responded by completing 7-of-8 passes for 95 yards. He did lose a fumble on a botched snap, where the blame could've gone either way.
After the contest, Tagovailoa
revealed his reaction to the boos from fans who watched him lead their team to a 44-32 record in his 76 starts.
"Well, of course I [heard it]," Tagovailoa said. "But needless to say, being able to come back here, I've had six years here. And those are probably some of the best six years of my life, being able to play for Miami, being able to be in front of the crowd. Had a Pro Bowl here, had a good amount of accolades. So, regardless of the reaction, I love the city. We have a home out here. We still have our house and whatnot. But 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."
While Tagovailoa seems to be at peace with where he is and the situation, he wasn't leaning one way or the other heading into the matchup.
"Well, I would say mixed emotions, right? Being able to come back, play at Hard Rock, but then the perspective changes being on the opposite sideline, looking at the guys across, knowing a lot of guys on that side of the field," Tagovailoa said. "I mean, I don't think anything beats [catching up with former teammates]. It's like a fraternity, if you will. Just being able to see the guys, catch up a little bit. See how guys are doing and whatnot. Just wishing them the best of luck this year, wishing them to stay healthy, all of that, just things like that. But it was good to connect again with those guys."
The Falcons will have to make a decision soon regarding their quarterback room, and there's still a chance that Tagovailoa is their starter for 2026, and whether Dolphins fans want to admit it or not, if Tagovailoa is playing, they'll be paying attention.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Tua Tagovailoa reacts to boos from Dolphins fans in return to Miami
