Falcons quarterback Michael Penix’s history of knee injuries has led to some questions about his long-term future, but Penix has found a way to make a positive out of his past experiences.
Penix tore his left ACL in November after tearing the same ligament in his right knee twice during his time in college. Penix said this week that going through previous recoveries has left him confident that he’ll be back on top of his game once he’s back on the field this year.
“It’s something I’ve done before,” Penix said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’ve always came back stronger. I’ve always came back better. So, I don’t think anything less will happen. I feel like I’m in a good spot right now. I’m getting better each and every day. I’m just taking the rehab one day at a time.”
Penix said he’s aiming to be ready to play in Week 1, although it remains to be seen if his rehab will progress fast enough to make that a reality. How the Falcons will set up the rest of their quarterback room to guard against the possibility that Penix needs more time is something they’ll begin to work out once they have a new General Manager in place.
New Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski says that until the team has a general manager, there’s no way to say who the quarterbacks on the roster will be.
Asked on NFL Network about the status of Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, Stefanski said that’s a discussion that can happen when Falcons President Matt Ryan hires a GM.
“I think we have to hire a general manager first, before I can give you a great answer there,” Stefanski said. “Once we do that I’ll sit with the general manager, sit with Matt Ryan, we’ll put our heads together on all roster decisions.”
Stefanski has previously said he’s looking forward to working with Penix, and he said the Falcons are pleased with his rehab from last season’s torn ACL.
“Michael is a young player that I think very highly of, he is rehabbing off his injury, he’s doing great, he’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing right now, which is the number one thing for him, is to get healthy,” Stefanski said. “He’s obviously played good football in his first two seasons. I’m excited to have the ability to develop him.”
Cousins is widely expected to be released soon, although Stefanski again said that decision will be for the next GM.
“Kirk, obviously, a relationship there, he’s somebody that I think very highly of on and off the field. But all those types of decisions will come after we have a general manager,” Stefanski said.
Is there any chance that both Cousins and Penix could be on the Falcons’ roster for the 2026 season?
“Those are all the types of discussions that will come in the next week or so,” Stefanski said.
Realistically, the most likely outcome is that Cousins will be gone and another quarterback will be brought in to compete with Penix. But a new GM comes first.
In each of the last two seasons with the Browns, head coach Kevin Stefanski turned over offensive play-calling duties to his offensive coordinator midway through the year.
That won’t be the case in 2026.
In his introductory press conference as Falcons head coach on Tuesday, Stefanski said that Rees will serve as Atlanta’s offensive play-caller.
“That’s a setup that I’m very, very comfortable with. I think he’s an outstanding football coach. He’s young, but I don’t know if you always measure experience just in years. I think he’s had unbelievable experiences in his young career,” Stefanski said, via George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal. “He is somebody that I trust. We see the game similarly, but we also push each other because we’re different, so Tommy will head up that offensive staff.”
Rees joined Stefanski with Cleveland in 2024 as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2025.
After Kevin Stefanski was hired by the Falcons, one of his former Browns players took notice of a tweet referencing the team’s revolving door of quarterbacks during Stefanski’s tenure.
Baker Mayfield was the starting quarterback when Stefanski was hired as the head coach in Cleveland in 2020 and the two men guided the Browns to the divisional round of the playoffs that year, which is likely why Mayfield took issue with being called a failure and part of a “dumpster fire” at the position. Mayfield was traded to the Panthers after the Browns missed the playoffs in 2021 and went on to say he’s “still waiting” to hear from Stefanski after being “shipped off like a piece of garbage.”
Mayfield closed by saying that he’s looking forward to facing Stefanski twice a year. During an introductory press conference in Atlanta on Tuesday, Stefanski was asked for his response to Mayfield’s comments.
“Baker’s somebody that I have a ton of respect for as a player and a person,” Stefanski said. “I love rivalries in sports, and, obviously, Buccaneers-Falcons have a great rivalry. It’s something that I’m excited about. I would not get into the specifics of those type of things, other than to say I have a ton of respect for Baker as a player, as a person. That’s a great team with a great player.”
We don’t know when the Bucs and Falcons will play each other during the 2026 season, but both Mayfield and Stefanski are likely to field more questions about each other in the days leading up to their first matchup.
With president of football Matt Ryan and head coach Kevin Stefanski in place, the Falcons are moving toward finding the next member of their new regime.
According to multiple reports, Bears assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham and Texans assistant General Manager James Liipfert will both have second interviews for Atlanta’s General Manager vacancy this week.
Cunningham had interviewed for the president of football job that went to Ryan. He’s been in the mix for several G.M. jobs over the last few offseasons.
Liipfert interviewed with the Falcons for their G.M. job last week.
Atlanta is replacing Terry Fontenot, who spent five seasons in the role.
