Matt Ryan Clarifies Comments on Michael Penix Jr. After Falcons QB's Cryptic IG Post

Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan provided some clarification regarding Michael Penix Jr.'s status as the team's starting quarterback in 2026.

"I'm high on Michael Penix. I have been for a long time," Ryan told CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones. "His ability to throw the football, his ability to layer the football, to drive it to all different parts of the field. I think Mike's awesome. I think he's done a great job with his rehab. What I'm making clear is I'm not the head coach of the football team. And I know what my role is and what my role is not. Kevin's responsibility is to be the head coach of the football team and he's going to let you know who our starters are and who our starters are not. It's not my place to go in there."

"Of course my input will be there, but at the end of the day it's the head coach's responsibility to let you know, when the time is right, who's going to be our starting quarterback," he added.

Penix previously posted a message about facing pressure on Instagram after Ryan didn't commit to him as Atlanta's starter next season.

"As a man, you carry a lot of 'pressure' each and every day," Penix wrote as part of the caption of the post. "Pressure to provide for your family, pressure to succeed in everything you do in life, pressure of letting everybody around you down. But one thing I never did and never will do is fold in the face of it."

At the introductory press conference of new Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham on Tuesday, Ryan was noncommittal when asked if Penix will be the team's starting quarterback once he recovers from a torn ACL that he suffered in Nov. 2025.

"Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can't answer your question on that," Ryan said at the time, 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.

"Quarterback's obviously very important, and we're excited about Mike and what he's doing with his rehab. 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 nine games for the Falcons during the 2025 season, completing 60.1 percent of his throws for 1,982 yards and nine touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

Atlanta selected the 25-year-old with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft under former general manager Terry Fontenot, who was fired along with head coach Raheem Morris on Jan. 4.

The Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach just under two weeks later.

As Atlanta attempts to improve upon an 8-9 finish, it appears as though Stefanski will have the final say in regards to the team's first-string quarterback.