Michael Penix might . . . or might not be cleared for a return to team work in time for the Falcons’ minicamp next week. Coach Kevin Stefanski is allowing only “we’ll see.”
Until Penix is cleared for football activities, the Falcons don’t have a quarterback competition.
That was the word from quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt on Wednesday.
“It’s tough to have a competition when both guys aren’t competing at the same level right now,” Van Pelt said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “So, it’s hard, and it’ll come. It’ll happen at some point. Mike’s done a great job of getting himself to where he is right now. Really impressive to take 7-on-7 reps and go out and compete. That’s been great. But really, there’s no competition until we can actually evaluate him equally.”
Tua Tagovailoa is taking all of the first-team snaps with Penix participating only in individual drills and 7-on-7 work as he works his way back from an ACL tear. Penix underwent surgery Nov. 25 after his knee injury against the Panthers.
Van Pelt revealed that Penix is taking more 7-on-7 reps than Tagovailoa.
“We split the reps as evenly as we can without Mike taking team reps,” Van Pelt said. “It gets a little lopsided toward Tua.”
Penix had a scheduled day off from practice Monday, and Stefanski wouldn’t provide any timetable or specifics on Penix’s return.
“He’s hitting every milestone that he’s supposed to hit,” Stefanski said. “We’re in constant communication with our medical team and Mike, and I think he’s doing everything he can do and certainly when he may want to do more, we have to hold him back from certain things potentially. But not going to put any timeframes out there just yet, just going to focus on what’s in front of us.”
Bijan Robinson is eligible for a contract extension.
The Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on his contract, which is projected to pay him $11.3 million in 2027. But both the Falcons and Robinson want a long-term deal.
Wide receiver Drake London, a first-round pick in 2022, got his extension signed on Monday. No one was happier for London than Robinson.
“Right when I saw it, I called him,” Robinson said. “I was so happy for him. He deserves it. He deserves everything that he gets. Obviously, he’s one of my favorite teammates, probably my top teammate of all time. That’s my best friend. That’s my brother.”
Dan Graziano of ESPN reports that the Falcons and Robinson’s representation are engaged in talks. The Dolphins recently signed De’Von Achane to a deal with a $16 million annual average, with San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey ($19 million per season) and Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million per season) the only running backs ahead of Achane in annual average.
A reporter asked Robinson on Monday whether he is the next player on the Falcons to receive an extension.
“We’ll see, man,” Robinson said, via Daniel Flick of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ll see, because I’m not the type of guy to talk about it. I let them handle all that stuff. So, we’ll see.”
Robinson, the eighth overall pick in 2023, has played every game he has been eligible over the past three seasons. He has 3,910 yards rushing with 25 touchdowns and 198 catches for 1,738 yards and nine touchdowns.
In 2025, he led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage in 2025.
Drake London’s contract extension with the Falcons became official on Monday.
The Falcons announced their agreement with the wideout on a four-year extension that keeps him tied to Atlanta through the 2030 season. The team did not reveal the financial terms, but it is reportedly a $141 million deal that includes $100 million in guaranteed money.
“Drake represents, certainly, all the things we believe in,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday, via the team’s website. “How you play this game, how you approach this game, how important this game is to him, how important his teammates are to him.”
London was a Falcons first-round pick in 2022 and the team exercised its fifth-year option on his contract before the 2025 season. London has 309 catches for 3,961 yards and 22 touchdowns in 62 career games.
The Falcons will wrap up their offseason program with a mandatory minicamp next week and quarterback Michael Penix’s level of participation will remain up in the air until they’re closer to the start of the three-day event.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Monday that “we’ll see” if Penix is cleared for 11-on-11 work before the offseason workouts come to an end. Penix is returning from last season’s torn ACL and has progressed to 7-on-7 drills at OTAs.
Stefanski also said that Penix is taking a scheduled rest day on Monday, but that he has hit every milestone in his rehab schedule to this point in the offseason.
Tua Tagovailoa is the other quarterback option for the Falcons and training camp looks like it will be the time for the team to make a decision whether Penix is back to a full workload next week or not.
Falcons third-round pick Zachariah Branch no longer faces criminal charges related to an April arrest in Athens, Georgia.
Branch was arrested and faced two misdemeanors for not following a police officer’s commands, but the wide receiver’s attorney told ESPN that prosecutors did not find sufficient evidence to sustain the charges.
“Zachariah cooperated fully with law enforcement and did not commit a crime on the night of his arrest and never should have been arrested,” Kim Stephens said. “We are glad this matter is over and that Mr. Branch’s excellent reputation and good name [are] restored.”
Branch had 81 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns after transferring to Georgia from USC last year.
