Kevin Stefanski Sends Strong Message on Michael Penix Jr.

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons officially introduced Kevin Stefanski on Tuesday, and his evaluation of Michael Penix Jr., Kirk Cousins, and the quarterback situation provided some insight into what the team could do this offseason.

The former head coach of the Cleveland Browns just left a difficult situation under center, where he had to coach 13 different quarterbacks over six years. Stefanski stands to inherit a much more potent offense in Atlanta than what he had in Cleveland, but there will be some similar questions to answer at the quarterback position.

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Penix, who is coming off an ACL injury that ended his season, is someone Stefanski says he is “very excited” about.

“I’m just excited about the physical gifts,” Stefanski explained. “What's most important right now for Michael is to get healthy. He knows that, and we'll get to football here shortly, but he's attacking his rehab. I think you see a player on tape that can get through progressions, can layer the ball, and can push the ball to all areas of the field.”

Penix showed some promise in his first full season as a starter, but still has room for improvement as he enters the third year of his rookie contract. He completed 60.1% of his passes and averaged 220.2 yards per game through the air, with nine touchdowns and three interceptions over his nine appearances in 2025.

Stefanski is eager to get to work with the young quarterback, saying that the development side of his job is what excites him the most about coming to work.

“I'm a maniac about [development],” he said. “I'm just crazy about the development of our players. We want to be a very intentional group when it comes to developing players, obviously, the quarterback positions at the forefront of that.

“I think it's our job as coaches to put structure around them, to put a curriculum together in the offseason, to get them up to speed in whatever areas, to give them very specific things that we are going to work on together so that they can improve.”

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Cousins, who handled starting duties down the stretch of the season after Penix’s injury, is unlikely to return to the team on his current contract after he re-worked his deal earlier this month. He played under Stefanski during their shared time with the Minnesota Vikings, but the head coach declined to say anything more about the veteran quarterback.

The Falcons feel like they are close to getting back to the playoffs, but how they handle the quarterback position will go a long way in determining whether they will.