Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush is getting another chance with an NFC team in desperate need.
“With Atlanta QB Tua Tagovailoa dealing with a tight back and Michael Penix still not practicing due to a knee injury, the Falcons are signing veteran quarterback Cooper Rush, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Wednesday.
Rush was already taking snaps at Falcons practice on Wednesday morning.
“The Atlanta Falcons have signed veteran QB Cooper Rush ahead of their first training camp practice in about 15 minutes,” Falcons reporter Will McFadden wrote on his official X account on Wednesday morning. “The signing comes after this morning’s release of Trevor Siemian and the news that Tua Tagovailoa will miss the start of camp.”
Rush signed a 2-year, $6.2 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens to back up 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson but went 0-2 after Jackson was injured and was replaced by Tyler Huntley. The Ravens released Rush in March.
Falcons Have 2-Way Battle for Starting QB
The Falcons have 1 of the NFL’s messiest quarterback situations. Penix was drafted in the 1st round (No. 8 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft and has flamed out spectacularly over the 1st 2 seasons of his career and tore his ACL in Week 11 of the 2025 regular season.
Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, flamed out spectacularly with the Miami Dolphins and was a post-June 1 cut. The Dolphins were so desperate to get rid of Tagovailoa that they incurred a $99.2 million dead cap hit by cutting him — the largest dead cap hit in NFL history.
The Ravens have a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, who was fired by the Cleveland Browns following the 2025 season and is a 2-time NFL Coach of the Year.
Signing Rush is a sign of exactly how desperate the Falcons are at the most important position on the field. While he was a reliable backup quarterback in 8 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, he seemed totally cooked in 2025.
Ravens Have Reliable Backup QB in Tyler Huntley
For all intents and purposes, the Ravens have 1 of the NFL’s most reliable backup quarterbacks in Huntley, who stepped in and gave Baltimore a chance to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start. Huntley went 2-0 in 2 starts in 2025 while filling in for Jackson.
The Ravens showed their faith in Huntley by signing him to a 2-year, $5 million contract on March 7.
“Tyler Huntley, per sources, has agreed to a 2-yr, $5 million deal to stay in Baltimore,” The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote on X on Saturday. “Incentives could take it up to $11 million.”
“Congrats to Tyler Huntley!” Ravens Vault’s Sarah Ellison wrote on her official X account. “Snoop is a good fit behind Lamar Jackson. He was 2-0 in games he started when Lamar was injured last year. One would assume Cooper Rush will be cut after this.”
Huntley earned Pro Bowl honors with the Ravens in 2022, filling in when Jackson was injured.
Huntley has a 7-9 record over 16 starts as a backup for the Ravens and Miami Dolphins over the last 6 seasons. Huntley went 2-3 as the starter for the Dolphins in 2024 when Tagovailoa was injured.
Former Ravens QB Signs With Desperate NFC Team