Roddy White
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Roddy White believes the Falcons have found their quarterback of the future in Michael Penix Jr.
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t get the result they were looking for in their season-opening clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they suffered a 23-20 loss after Younghoe Koo missed a potential game-tying field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. However, there were several reasons for encouragement, with the biggest among them being the play of second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
In order for Penix to succeed now that he’s taken over under center, he needs a strong supporting cast. For many years, star wide receiver Roddy White was one of the guys leading Atlanta’s supporting cast on offense. In an interview with casino.us, White provided Heavy on Falcons with some exclusive comments on his thoughts about Penix and what he believes the team is capable of in the 2025 season.
Roddy White Has High Hopes for Michael Penix Jr. in 2025
There’s been quite a lot of drama involving the Falcons’ quarterback position over the past few months, as the team made the controversial decision to bench veteran Kirk Cousins late in the 2024 campaign in favor of Penix. The main issue with benching Cousins is that the team signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency ahead of the 2024 season, so with Penix starting, he’s the most expensive backup in the league.
Atlanta feels that Penix gives them the best shot of winning, and with a talented roster around him, they proved right away in Week 1 that they can go toe-to-toe with the Buccaneers, who have won the NFC South each of the past four seasons. Despite all the chatter about Penix and the future of the Falcons’ quarterback position, White thinks the team has found their guy, even going as far as to predict he will be a Pro Bowler in the near future.
“I like that Michael can make every throw on the field,” White said to Heavy on Falcons. “The game against Tampa Bay was a prime example of that. He was throwing whole shots, out routes to the far end of the field … I thought he did a lot of excellent things, including using his legs and picking up great first downs. I think Atlanta has their quarterback for the next 10 years. He’s going to be a really good player for the Falcons, and probably a Pro Bowl player at some stage.”
While Penix is tasked with leading the offense, he obviously needs players to throw the ball to. White knows that better than anyone, as he was one of the best wide receivers in the league during his 11-year career, which he spent entirely with the Falcons. A four-time Pro Bowler, White enjoyed his best season in 2010, when he led the league with 115 receptions for 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns, with that production also earning him a spot on the All-Pro First Team.
In the present day, Atlanta has star contributors like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Darnell Mooney helping out Penix under center. One guy who the team would love to have be a part of that core group is tight end Kyle Pitts, but after a Pro Bowl campaign as a rookie in 2021, he’s struggled to make a consistent impact in the passing game. White thinks that’s about to change, as he believes Pitts will play a key role in the Falcons’ 2025 season.
“He’s struggled a little to stay healthy; this is the first full season where he’s come through OTAs and training camps all fine and healthy,” White said of Pitts. “You could tell against Tampa Bay, when he caught the ball, it looked like that explosion that he had when he first joined the NFL was back.”
“He made a lot of plays against Tampa Bay, and Penix was looking to get him the ball in a lot of different situations. I think that connection has been good since they got together, and it’s just going to continue to grow. I think he will be a huge part of our offense.”
Does Roddy White Think the Falcons Can Contend in the NFC South in 2025?
GettyRoddy White Played His Entire NFL Career with the Atlanta Falcons.
The 2025 campaign is set to be an interesting one for the Falcons. While they have a strong collection of talent at their disposal, it remains to be seen if they can truly compete with the Buccaneers in the NFC South. White believes that Atlanta is capable of winning the division, but in order to do so, they need to clean up some of the simple mistakes that led to their Week 1 loss vs. Tampa Bay.
“The expectation is always to win the division, and I think that team is good enough to do it,” White said. “In the last couple of years, the Falcons have done their best to lose the division, just coming up short in a lot of games. Week 1 against Tampa was another example of that.”
“I want to see a bit more consistency. A lot of the times in situational football, you make a bad mistake or give away a bad penalty, or fail to finish a drive, and it hits you. I think we can be much improved, and I think we will be much improved. ”
Silver linings are tough to find in the NFL, but there were a lot of positive takeaways from the Falcons’ Week 1 loss. If they can clean up some of the finer points of their game, White thinks they could give the Bucs a serious run for their money later this season. For now, Atlanta will look to pick up its first win of the season when it takes on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.