![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2229497860-e1756829011214.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix. <\/p>\n
The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> hoped that when they selected Michael Penix<\/a> Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL<\/a> Draft, they had secured their franchise quarterback for the future. That was the vision of the previous regime \u2014 not necessarily the current one.<\/p>\n Former head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot are now gone, and with a new leadership group in place, Penix\u2019s long-term outlook in Atlanta is no longer guaranteed.<\/p>\n That uncertainty was put into sharper focus this week after ESPN\u2019s Stephen A. Smith said<\/a>\u00a0the Falcons already regret the pick.<\/p>\n \u201cI think so, and it\u2019s not about his game, because the brother can play,\u201d Smith said on First Take. \u201cI\u2019m going to tell you what I was told.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith went on to reference Penix\u2019s usage in shotgun-heavy formations.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see him lined up in the shotgun most of the time because it\u2019s difficult for him to line up under center,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe has to bend his knees too much. I mean, damn.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith did not identify his sources, but the speculation ties back to Penix\u2019s extensive injury history. The 25-year-old is currently recovering from his third torn ACL \u2014 two suffered in college on his right knee and the most recent injury to his left knee during the 2025 season.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen that\u2019s the reason why you\u2019re in shotgun formation most of the time, that is problematic,\u201d Smith added.<\/p>\n Penix\u2019s Health Adds Another Layer of Uncertainty<\/p>\n Penix underwent surgery in November 2025 to repair the torn ACL, with an expected recovery timeline of nine to 12 months.<\/p>\n Injuries were always viewed as the primary risk when drafting Penix, which is why some evaluators projected him to fall later in the draft despite his talent.<\/p>\n Now, with new leadership in place \u2014 head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Ian Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan<\/a> \u2014 nothing appears off the table, including a potential shift at quarterback.<\/p>\n When recently asked about Penix, Ryan stopped short of offering any long-term commitment<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cQuarterback\u2019s obviously very important, and we\u2019re excited about Mike and what he\u2019s doing with his rehab,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cI\u2019ve been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael\u2019s been in there attacking that and he\u2019s in a good space right now. So we\u2019re excited about where he\u2019s at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephen A. Smith Praises Matt Ryan\u2019s Honesty<\/p>\n Ryan deferred any decision on the starting quarterback to Stefanski, but Smith believes the message was clear.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to applaud Matt Ryan<\/a>,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe\u2019s like, the quarterback position is important, and we ain\u2019t committing to nobody.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith pointed to Atlanta\u2019s financial investment in Kirk Cousins<\/a> \u2014 who earned roughly $90 million over two seasons \u2014 despite a playoff appearance. He then circled back to Penix\u2019s durability concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need a quarterback,\u201d Smith said. \u201cSo if you\u2019re Matt Ryan<\/a>, what you\u2019re saying is clearly we\u2019re not good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith summed up Atlanta\u2019s situation bluntly on Cousins and Penix.<\/p>\n \u201cWe (Falcons) don\u2019t have either guy that\u2019s good enough for what we need,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tShane Shoemaker<\/a> Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Falcons\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix. The Atlanta Falcons hoped that when they selected Michael Penix Jr. with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2074],"tags":[223,254,2554,224,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-730687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-atlantafalcons","11":"tag-falcons","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116016852884818140","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}