Michael Penix Jr.'s Future as Falcons' QB1 for Stefanski Discussed by Matt Ryan Amid Injury Timeline

Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan was noncommittal when asked about the future of Michael Penix Jr. as the team's starting quarterback under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

"Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can't answer your question on that," Ryan said Tuesday, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "... I think as we start to get into this process and dive deeper into the roster -- how it currently stands, where it's going in the future -- I think those are conversations that'll be a part of it."

Penix is currently recovering from a season-ending torn ACL that he suffered in Nov. 2025. It marked the third ACL tear of his career.

"Quarterback's obviously very important, and we're excited about Mike and what he's doing with his rehab," Ryan explained, via Raimondi. "I've been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael's been in there attacking that and he's in a good space right now, so we're excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster."

Penix started the first nine games of the regular season for the Falcons before he was replaced by veteran Kirk Cousins to close out the year.

Atlanta will "likely" release Cousins by March 12 after restructuring his contract on Jan. 6, according to Josh Kendall and Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

As for Penix, he completed 60.1 percent of his throws for 1,982 yards and nine touchdowns compared to three interceptions in 2025.

With his availability for the start of the 2026 season uncertain, the Falcons could be on the hunt for a signficant addition to their quarterback room during the offseason.