Falcons president Matt Ryan won't commit to Michael Penix Jr. as starting QB when healthy

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2026-02-05

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On the road to recovery from a season-ending torn ACL, Michael Penix Jr.‘s return as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback might not be guaranteed.

During new general manager Ian Cunningham’s introductory news conference on Tuesday, Falcons president of football Matt Ryan would not commit to Penix being Atlanta’s QB1 when asked if the injured signal-caller would return to the role after his recovery.

“Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can’t answer your question on that,” Ryan said, via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “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.”

Ryan, hired this offseason, oversaw the searches for new head coach Kevin Stefanski and Cunningham. As owner Arthur Blank’s franchise has been remade with new pillars, Tuesday’s comments will lead to speculation that a change at quarterback could be on the horizon, as well.

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In addition to Penix, Atlanta currently houses veteran Kirk Cousins, who was signed to a massive, yet recently restructured, four-year, $180 million free-agent deal in March of 2024, not long before the franchise shockingly traded up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Penix at No. 8 overall.

In the ensuing season, Cousins was eventually benched with Penix showing promise over a three-start sample size to conclude the campaign.

However, in 2025, Penix’s play left plenty to be desired, as he completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards (220.2 per game), nine touchdowns and three interceptions in nine starts. After Penix tore his ACL, Cousins was the starter yet again.

Stefanski has a history with Cousins dating back to shared time with the Minnesota Vikings from 2018-19 with Stefanski serving as a QB coach and offensive coordinator. Still, Cousins’ re-working of his contract suggests he’s a cut candidate more so than potential competition.

Recently, Penix said he’s aiming to be ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 campaign, but if he is available for action, whether or not he’s the starter remains to be seen and decided, apparently.

“Quarterback’s obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab,” Ryan said. “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.”