Annah Tagovailoa has seen it all. From watching Tua Tagovailoa carve up defenses for the Alabama Crimson Tide, to being drafted 5th overall in the 2020 draft, to being touted as a franchise quarterback. Since tying the knot with him in 2022, she has also witnessed his fall from grace in the last couple of seasons with the Miami Dolphins. This offseason, as a free-agent signing, Tua got a chance to create a redemption arc with the Atlanta Falcons. And with the latest chapter sealed in that arc, Annah is celebrating her husband.

On Monday, September 7th, just six days before the Falcons face the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 1 clash, Atlanta declared Tua the starting quarterback for the game. When the Falcons announced it through their Instagram handle, Annah shared it as her story, but needed no words to convey how she felt. Just a single white heart emoji said everything.

Tua’s mother, Diane Tagovailoa, also joined in celebrating the news on X, reposting the team’s official QB1 announcement with a message: “Work ♥️🖤🤍.”

Now, this isn’t the first time Annah has supported her husband in recent days. When Tua posted a series of his pictures with the Atlanta Falcons, captioning it “For the A 🫡,” he faced allegations of a burner account. Under this post, from Tua’s own account, came a comment that appeared to hype him up: “We’re so proud of you!! You got this ❤️.” In the face of intense criticism Tua faced for this, Annah dropped a comment clarifying what really happened.

“No burner account!” Annah commented. “I was busy with the kids this morning and forgot to switch back to my account. He’s busy at work, as he’s said he doesn’t have social media, and I post on his behalf! Will pay more attention next time.”

Since then, in a wholesome gesture, that post’s comments section has been filled with fans commenting “We’re so proud of you!! You got this ❤️,” in support of both Tua and Annah. And now that Tua’s the starting quarterback for Week 1, one can easily expect those comments to pick up steam once again.

But that ‘Week 1’ starter designation also feels like a catch. The Falcons haven’t named him the QB1 outright. Third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. would have been the starter had it not been for his injury setback.

Penix partially tore his ACL last November, ending his season. Since then, he was only cleared for full-contact practice and team periods two weeks ago. That’s not enough time to get someone ready for the regular season grind, especially when the last time they were fully active was about ten months ago.

What’s more, despite the Falcons’ optimism around Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, his history of injuries, combined with his 6-8 record from the 2025 season, remains a cautionary tale. The starting job will likely be Penix’s when he comes back, and even NFL reporter Albert Breer has dropped that reality check.

“On the Atlanta Falcons situation, Michael Penix has been fully cleared,” Breer wrote on X. “So he’d be good to dress for Week 1. But he’s still working his way back from the injury so Atlanta’s being careful here. This isn’t Tua Tagovailoa beating him out. Moreso, it’s about Penix’s readiness.”

Now, Tua does have a chance to stay the starter if he can lead his offense to victory against the Steelers, and if Penix needs more time to get back in game shape. Tua’s got a lot to prove in that regard. But for now, this Week 1 update is a massive win for the veteran quarterback, and Annah Tagovailoa is all for it.