Michael Penix Brings Atlanta Falcons Closer to Building ‘Sustained Winner’

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris explained their decision to select Michael Penix Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Terry Fontenot, wearing a gray blazer and red tie over his white dress shirt, listened carefully to Raheem Morris, who sported a navy blue blazer and black tie.

Morris, sitting straight up in his chair, looked down and to the left, offering a straight-faced summary of the Atlanta Falcons’ shocking decision to select Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

“We don't want to be back in this position again to pick this guy,” Morris said.

Fontenot, hands together and leaning forward, chimed in.

“We won’t be,” he said, a message soon reiterated by Morris.

The Falcons’ new leadership pairing was nearly-three hours removed from bypassing an entire draft class of defenders for Penix – and a month and a half removed from giving Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract to lead the organization under center.

Fontenot, Atlanta’s fourth-year general manager, confirmed Cousins is the team’s starter. The fully-guaranteed $90 million he’s making in the next two years all but assures as such.

The Falcons are confident in Cousins's recovery from the torn Achilles he suffered Oct. 29 and believe the 35-year-old will prove the valued commodity he’s expected to be.

But during his press conference Tuesday, Fontenot said the Falcons aren’t necessarily drafting for the present – each move is made with the player’s entire rookie contract under consideration.

And even at No. 8 overall, Penix is no different.

“We’re thinking more long-term with this,” Fontenot said. “Still very, very excited about Kirk – that has not changed. This is a pick thinking about the future.”

In this case, the future consists of a succession plan – one with which Cousins wasn’t expecting.

Cousins was informed of Atlanta’s decision to select Penix just moments before the card was officially submitted. Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, has since released a statement saying it was a “big surprise.”

But for the Falcons, who emerged from the ruins of subpar quarterback play by signing Cousins, a significance was placed on taking steps towards ensuring such a situation doesn’t happen again.

Fontenot views quarterback as the most important position in football. When factoring in Penix’s intangibles, physical tools and proven winning abilities, the opportunity proved too good to bypass.

So, Atlanta didn’t – and it had more to do with Penix than specifically searching for another signal caller.

“When you have a lot of belief in a player, you can’t pass that up,” Fontenot said. “If we weren’t staring at Penix, we weren’t going to reach and force something. We have a lot of belief in the player and we know he can be a future franchise player.”

Penix, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy this past season after throwing for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns, was the fourth quarterback off the board, trailing Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders) and Drake Maye (New England Patriots), who were chosen with the first three picks.

After Atlanta drafted Penix, two more signal callers were selected in quick succession, as the Minnesota Vikings took J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 and the Denver Broncos nabbed Bo Nix at No. 12.

The Falcons intend on winning with Cousins – and, consequently, won’t have the chance to select a long-term solution in future drafts.

Armed with belief that Penix can take over the reins after Cousins, the Falcons pulled the trigger with their eyes fixated multiple years down the line.

“When you get Kirk Cousins, you talk about short-term winning, winning right now, which we know we’re going to be in position to do,” Morris said. “We won’t have the ability to be picking this high again with the guy we got, and these guys go off the board pretty quickly.”

The dilemma Atlanta finds itself facing is time. Penix turns 24 years old on May 8, and with Cousins earning $90 million guaranteed over the next two years, the starting spot is cemented.

In essence, if Cousins's situation unfolds as the Falcons expect, Penix won’t start until Week 1 of 2026 at the earliest, making him 26 years old with two seasons of his rookie contract already in the rearview mirror. If the Falcons move on from Cousins after two years, they take on $25 million of dead-cap money according to Spotrac.

Fontenot said he’s unconcerned with Penix’s age, and it’s a similar story for his extensive injury history.

While at Indiana University, Penix suffered a pair of torn ACLs (2018 and 2020) and season-shortening shoulder injuries (2019 and 2021). He didn’t miss a game across the past two years at Washington, something Morris cited Thursday night. Atlanta’s doctors evaluated Penix and felt his medicals were safe.

But if the Falcons win as much as Fontenot and Morris expect, it’s possible Cousins’ tenure doesn’t end in two years. Morris wants NFC South titles and playoffs runs. 

If the Falcons accomplish those feats and Cousins stays under center, Penix’s timeline gets pushed back even further. Fontenot is unconcerned.

“If you believe in a quarterback, you have to take him,” Fontenot said. “If he sits for four or five years, that’s a great problem to have because we’re doing so well at that position.”

Morris echoed those sentiments. He’d also just seen six quarterbacks go in the first 12 picks.

To Atlanta’s first-year head coach, selecting Penix removes any future doubts. To Fontenot, it signifies another foundational step in a journey towards building the Falcons into a consistent contender – even if, on paper, the move seems counterproductive for the immediate future.

“We’re going to build a sustained winner,” Fontenot said, “and we’re going to win for a long time.”