Ex Falcons Head Coach Praises Michael Penix Jr.

In his three-game stint as a starter to close the regular season, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. turned heads -- including former Falcons head coach Mike Smith.

"When he got the opportunity to be the starter, Michael Penix Jr. showed everyone what he’s capable of," Smith said in an interview with BetWay. "He was as advertised. He’s got great leadership qualities and a very strong arm.

"To be thrust into the starting role as a rookie on a team chasing a playoff spot, it was a difficult situation, but he handled it extremely well."

Penix replaced four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins before Atlanta faced the New York Giants in Week 16. Across three starts, Penix completed 58% of his passes for 737 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score.

The 24-year-old Penix, drafted No. 8 overall by Atlanta in 2024, inspired hope he can be the franchise's solution under center. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Penix can dominate for as long as Atlanta lets him.

And the Falcons plan on allowing him to do so for a long time.

Atlanta can take multiple avenues with Cousins, from trading or cutting him to keeping him as the backup quarterback. Depending on whether the move comes before or after March 17, when Cousins is due a $10 million roster bonus, the Falcons will be down either $90 million or $100 million for 14 starts with Cousins.

But no matter what path the Falcons choose, they'll start Penix under center in 2025 -- which Smith views as a quality answer to an overall unenviable, but fixable, state.

"The situation the Falcons are in is not something you can’t work through," Smith said. "It sounds like it’s worse than it really is, and the Falcons are approaching it the right way. Overall, the Falcons are in a good position with their young quarterback.

"But it will be difficult to improve their team this season due to the cap and dead money situation."

Smith was the Falcons' head coach from 2008-14, and he helped draft 14-year franchise quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008. As such, Smith knows a thing or two about quality young quarterbacks -- and he evidently feels comfortable tabbing Penix as Atlanta's future under center.