Atlanta Falcons Finally Find Matt Ryan’s Successor in Michael Penix Jr.

From 2008–21, the Atlanta Falcons had as steady a presence under center as nearly any team in the NFL.

Arguably the best player in franchise history, Matt Ryan started in 222 of 225 total games across a 14-season stretch, leading the team through its most successful era.

Since Ryan departed prior to the 2022 season, it’s been a carousel under center – even a house of horrors – for Atlanta. It went from Marcus Mariota to Desmond Ridder to Taylor Heinicke to Kirk Cousins in a span of just over two seasons.

But now, the Falcons have reason to believe they have a future at the position in 25-year-old rising star Michael Penix Jr.

Drafted No. 8 overall in 2024 in a move that left fans, coaches, and even Penix himself in shock, the lefty gunslinger had to wait his turn until the benching of Cousins with three games left in the 2024 season. The ill-fated $180 million signing of Cousins has left a black hole in Atlanta for now, but emerging from the fallout is Penix, who looks to lead the Falcons back to the postseason for the first time in eight years.

In three starts at the end of 2024, Penix threw for 245.7 yards per game, adding four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) as the rookie nearly willed the Falcons to an NFC South crown – a title the team was bound for before Cousins imploded down the stretch.

After earning a starting role ahead of his second year, Penix impressed in his season debut, throwing for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown, adding another on the ground, in the Falcons’ 23–20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite the defeat – something Atlanta has grown accustomed to (the Falcons haven’t had a winning season since 2017) – Penix has asserted himself as a leader in the locker room and the obvious choice to pilot the franchise into a winning era.

“He’s a highly competitive guy, and he wants to go out and lead the right way,” Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said of Penix. “Whatever we’re doing, he wants to win – whether we're shooting shots, playing golf, running – he wants to win and be the top dog. I first saw that in the weight room in his competitive edge, and when he gets on the field, he wants to compete against the defense at a very high level.”

Bolstering Penix’s odds of ushering Atlanta back to its winning ways is the talented supporting cast around the young quarterback. One of the league’s best young running backs, Bijan Robinson, will serve as a security blanket next to Penix for years. Last year’s leading receiver, Drake London, is slated to be the top target for the foreseeable future. But as impressive as Penix has been through four games as an NFL starter, it’s what he’s done off the field – and perhaps what Cousins didn’t do in his time as starter – that has commanded the roster’s attention.

“I feel like you can’t lead anybody if you don't know them,” Penix said. “I feel like you’ve got to build relationships. And for me, I want to get to know those guys so I can know who can take certain leadership styles. If it’s verbal, like right there in the moment, or if it's pulling you to the side – just understanding those guys and having that relationship built with my teammates.”

Maybe the most important vote of confidence came from soon-to-be 83-year-old Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who’s nearing his final chance at producing a championship team.

“He has all the qualities you want to see, I think, in a franchise quarterback,” Blank said of Penix. “If we get a duplicate run out of him that we got out of Matt Ryan, we would be incredibly happy. ... We're excited about Michael Penix, and the team is, too.”

Playing in a lackluster NFC South, Penix has the individual tools and the supporting cast to ensure the Falcons aren’t watching the postseason from the couch for an eighth consecutive January.