Mike Vick Expects 'Big Things' from Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. grew up idolizing Mike Vick, one of only a handful of lefty passers who found success in the NFL.

Penix said Vick was his favorite quarterback, citing Vick's ability to change games both through the air and on the ground and his impact on the NFL's evolution.

But on Friday, two days before Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the tables turned -- and Vick praised Penix's three-game stint at the end of the season.

"I think Michael was poised," Vick said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter. "I think obviously he could have used them reps a little earlier in the year. When it came down to it, I put myself in his shoes. When I was a rookie I came in late when games mattered. Couldn’t get it done, but showed promise.

"I think that was enough to show that he’s the guy for the future."

The 44-year-old Vick is familiar to the pressures faced by Penix, who the Falcons selected No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

In 2001, Atlanta drafted Vick at No. 1 overall. He played in 74 games with 67 starts across six years in Atlanta, three of which ended in Pro Bowl nods while two saw him finish in the top five in MVP voting.

And Vick, who's a FOX Sports correspondent at the Super Bowl, believes Penix has the makings of a successful pro quarterback moving forward.

"It’s his team now, and I expect big things out of Michael Penix because we know he can do it," Vick said. "We’ve seen him do it in college. I don’t think the quarterback position is an issue for the Atlanta Falcons moving forward."

Penix started the final three games of the season, going 58-for-100 passing for 737 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score. He capped his season with a 312-yard, three-total-touchdown performance in a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Vick's second NFL season netted a Pro Bowl nod and a fourth-place finish in the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award race.

Can Penix follow the same path? Only time will tell.