Atlanta Falcons, Michael Penix Jr., Carolina Panthers
Getty
Michael Penix Jr., Falcons QB.
As much as anyone may ask, the Atlanta Falcons are not going to tip their hand in February about who will be starting quarterback come Week 1 of the 2026 season.
What is certain is who will not be competing for the job.
Kirk Cousins, a 14-year veteran, is set to be released by the Falcons on March 11, according to new general manager Ian Cunningham.
Unless something changes in free agency, Cousins will be searching for a new home in 2026. That leaves Atlanta with just two quarterbacks currently under contract: Michael Penix Jr. and Easton Stick.
The de facto answer would appear to be Penix. However, it remains uncertain whether he will even be ready for Week 1 after tearing his ACL last November.
And when it comes to Penix, the question may not simply be about when he will return — but whether he will get the opportunity to take the field in a Falcons uniform again at all.
More Falcons On Heavy: Falcons Have Major Concerns About Michael Penix Jr.: Report
ESPN Analyst Doesn’t Believe Michael Penix Jr. And New Regime Will Work
While at the NFL Scouting Combine on February 24, new head coach Kevin Stefanski deflected when pressed about the quarterback situation.
“I’m not big on giving out positions in February. I think you guys know how I feel about Michael and I’m excited about his trajectory. I also know he’s focused on his rehab, which is the right thing to do,” Stefanski said, per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall.
In their respective introductory press conferences, Stefanski, Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan have all more or less sidestepped the question, declining to offer any definitive answer.
That’s part of the reason ESPN’s Louis Riddick does not believe Penix is the long-term solution in Atlanta.
“No, personally, I don’t,” Riddick said when asked whether he believed Penix was the Falcons’ answer at quarterback.
“Kevin’s [Stefanski] trying to buy himself some time. He’s saying ‘Look, we’ll work through that, we’re just trying to get healthy, we’re going through our process.’ … The fact of the matter is, they don’t have anybody healthy and/or on their roster right now under contract that they could line up and play a regular season game with and win a game.”
It’s still only February, and plenty can change between now and September. But Penix continues to receive little in the way of public confidence that he will be the Falcons’ Week 1 starter.
Louis Riddick Suggests Top Free Agent As Falcons QB
Riddick pointed out that one major factor is the overhaul within the organization. The regime that drafted Penix in 2024 is no longer in place.
“I think they are going to be in the market for a veteran signal caller,” Riddick continued. “I think they’re going to look at the draft and see if they can find some kind of value there.”
He even went a step further, suggesting that Green Bay Packers free agent quarterback Malik Willis could make sense in Stefanski’s system.
“But you’re going to tell me a guy like Malik Willis wouldn’t make sense in Kevin Stefanski’s offense?” Riddick said.
Willis is expected to be one of the top free agents at the position this offseason and should draw interest from multiple teams. If the Falcons were to pursue him, it would be a nothing short of a splash signing.
“Matt Ryan’s going to make a big move here, because he knows how important the position is.”