The future for the Atlanta Falcons is essentially up for grabs this summer, when Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. get set to battle for the starting quarterback position during training camp. That is, if Penix is healthy enough to compete.
Penix tore his ACL back in November and has been recovering ever since after undergoing surgery shortly afterward. He has yet to be fully cleared with training camp just days away.
When Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer was asked what Penix’s future might look like should he not be able to win the Falcons’ starting job, he made it clear the former first-round pick may be on borrowed time in Atlanta.
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Breer said it would first come down to whether the Falcons decide to pick up Penix’s fifth-year option.
“I think the first thing that would set the stage for Penix leaving Atlanta would be the Falcons declining his fifth-year option next spring,” Breer replied. “That would be significant because it almost always leads to a team bailing on a first-round quarterback—Daniel Jones is the only real example of a guy having his option declined, and then winding up with a long-term deal to stay, since the option system went in with the 2011 draft class (Jordan Love did a one-year extension in place of his option).”
Penix was drafted No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and signed a four-year, $22.8 million rookie deal. He’s set to make a base salary of $1.19 million in 2026, per Spotrac.
His selection came as a complete surprise, as it was just weeks after the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal. Cousins was expected to be the team’s gap quarterback, leading to Penix becoming the franchise guy. But after two inconsistent, injury-plagued seasons, Penix’s future is looking bleak at best.
That’s why the upcoming competition with Tagovailoa is so important for Penix’s career.
“Penix is competing for his future this summer. Since he’s coming off a torn ACL, there’s a scenario where he doesn’t win the job in camp and comes back with a fury later in the season. But losing the competition in camp would certainly decrease the likelihood that he’s on the team two years from now.”
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The Falcons said back at OTAs that there was no quarterback competition as long as Penix wasn’t cleared. That means the job would go to Tagovailoa by default.
“Penix still has not been able to do 11-on-11 team sessions in practice, but he hopes to be 100% cleared in time for training camp,” ESPN’s Marc Raimondi wrote. “Until he’s healthy, though, the Falcons coaching staff has made it clear there really cannot be any competition. It feels like Tagovailoa is ahead at this point just because he’s getting the reps. However, that does not mean Penix can’t return and light things up in camp.”
In his 53-man roster projection, Raimondi has Tagovailoa listed as QB1, Penix as QB2 and Trevor Siemian as QB3.
It’s undoubtedly an uphill battle for Penix entering training camp, whether he’s cleared or not. Tagovailoa has all the experience and is getting a fresh start after having a difficult last two years.
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