The Atlanta Falcons do not have a confirmed starting quarterback ahead of the 2026-2027 NFL season. Michael Penix Jr. suffered from a torn ACL. He underwent surgery for the same, and it is expected to keep him out for nearly a year. According to ESPN, Matt Ryan, the Falcons’ president of football, was tight-lipped about the probability of Penix returning as the starting quarterback of the team.
Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can’t answer your question on that… I think as we start to get into this process and dive deeper into the roster — how it currently stands, where it’s going in the future — I think those are conversations that’ll be a part of it.
In his defense, Ryan was rather optimistic about the recovery of Michael Penix Jr. He claims that he has visited the facility numerous times and Penix Jr. is a lot better now. He says he is “excited” about the developments, but their team is still discussing the entire roster. Essentially, the Atlanta Falcons are far away from making a concrete decision.
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At Least The Falcons’ New Head Coach Still Believes In Penix
The search committee, led by Matt Ryan, finalized on Ian Cunningham as the new GM last Thursday night, and new head coach Kevin Stefanski on January 17. Their record in the NFL has been regressive to say the least. Since 2017, the Falcons have not made it to the Playoffs or posted a winning record. In his introductory conference, it was Penix Jr. who earned Stefanski’s vote of confidence.
Obviously, was very productive in college, has had some really, really, really good moments here in the pros. So, I just see a young player that will continue to develop and continue to get better.
In his nine games with the Falcons, Penix led them to a meager 3-6 record. He posted a 60.1% pass completion rate for 1982 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. His replacement, Kirk Cousins, performed much better than he did. With Cousins as a starter, the Falcons were 5-3 in the final 8 games of the season.
Although his numbers were no better than Penix Jr. With a pass percentage of 61 for 1721, Cousins brought home 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. It is actually worse compared to Penix. Additionally, the Falcons may also need to let him go due to salary cap considerations.
Published: Feb 5, 2026 05:00 am