Atlanta Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan would not commit to Michael Penix Jr. as the starter for the 2026 season.
The comments came as the Atlanta Falcons introduced new General Manager Ian Cunningham to the media on Tuesday.
Penix is recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn left ACL, which he suffered last November. Penix suffered his injury after taking a sack in the third quarter of a Week 11 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Over his two years in Atlanta, Penix has gone 4-8 as a starter. Overall, Penix has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Matt Ryan Comments on QB Position
During Cunningham’s introductory press conference, Ryan was asked if Michael Penix Jr. will be the starter when he returns.
Ryan did not say yes or no.
“Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can’t answer your question on that,” Ryan said. “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.”
“Quarterback’s obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab. I’ve been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael’s been in there attacking that and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.”
Penix completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards in nine games last season with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. The team was 3-6 in his starts.
The quarterback position seems to be a major question within the franchise. Kirk Cousins stepped in as QB1 when Penix went down. According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Cousins is likely to be released.
“Kirk Cousins, who is likely to be released because of salary cap considerations, completed 61% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games. With Cousins as starter, the Falcons were 5-3.” Raimondi wrote.
Kevin Stefanski Looking Forward to Developing Penix
Kevin Stefanski was hired as the Atlanta Falcons head coach on January 17th. During his press introductory press conference, he had complimentary things to say about Penix.
“I think you see a player on tape that can get through progressions, can layer the ball, can push the ball to all areas of the field,” Stefanski said. “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.”
“I’m a maniac about [development]. I’m just crazy about the development of our players. We want to be a very intentional group when it comes to developing players, obviously, the quarterback positions at the forefront of that.”
Michael Penix Jr.’s injury history continues to bite him over the course of his career.
The Atlanta Falcons QB previously tore his right ACL in 2018 and 2020, both times ending his seasons at the University of Indiana. Penix would then transfer to the University of Washington where he would have back-to-back 4000-yard seasons.
Penix’s potential is not the issue, but the 25-year-old has struggled to stay healthy.
If Penix is not the team’s starting quarterback in 2026, who is going to be behind center in Atlanta?
Falcons President Matt Ryan Shares the Truth About QB1 Position