How Falcons View Michael Penix Jr. amid Contract Decision, Tua QB1 Battle Revealed in New NFL Rumors

Entering his third year in the NFL, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is reportedly facing questions about his future with the team.

The Athletic’s Josh Kendall painted a bleak outlook for Penix’s chances to earn a long-term contract from the Falcons, especially after they signed veteran Tua Tagovailoa this offseason to compete with him for the starting quarterback position.

“He has 12 starts, four wins, two 300-yard games and a 59.6 percent completion rate in his career. Fair or not, the decision clock on his future is already ticking,” Kendall stated. “So far, Penix has done nothing to justify picking up his fifth-year option, much less offering him a long-term deal. There’s still a lot of optimism in the building that he can, but he’s got to beat out Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job first.”

The Falcons surprised the football world when they used the eighth pick in the 2024 draft to select Penix just months after signing veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency. Penix took over as Atlanta’s starter late in his rookie year and entered the 2025 season with the position locked up, but he was limited to nine games in his sophomore campaign due to season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. In 12 career starts, he has a record of 4-8.

Penix will need to have a strong camp to prove that he deserves to remain the Falcons’ starter over Tagovailoa, but a lackluster showing could force Atlanta to search for another franchise quarterback.