Leadership Starts With Listening For Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.

He’s not the loudest voice in the room, but he might be the most intentional. The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback is leading through connection, not volume.

Penix takes his own approach to being a leader | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Leadership comes in many forms, but it's usually the emotional, vocal leaders who get the spotlight, because their presence is simply the most noticeable. However, the most effective leaders are usually the ones who understand their teammates well enough to tailor their approach based on who they're speaking to.

Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. may not be known as a yeller or a "hype man," but he’s learned how to deliver his message in a way that reaches each unique individual, by adjusting his tone and approach depending on who he’s interacting with.

When asked about his leadership style, Penix gave credit to his father, who once told him that if he truly wanted to lead, he had to make the effort to understand his teammates and find the best way to reach each of them.

“My dad always used to tell me in middle school, ‘You’ve got to get to know those guys.’ We had a player who wouldn't take leadership the same way as another player, and I noticed that. I called him out, and he flipped out. Some guys don't take that verbiage, being loud with them in front of everybody,” Penix Jr. explained. “So I learned that I have to go over and talk to him on the side. I would say freshman year college was when I first realized that, ‘Okay. You’ve really got to get to know these guys.’ Not everybody takes leadership the same way.” 

While his introspective approach to leadership lets him connect with teammates in ways that others might not, Penix Jr. knows that trust and understanding can’t be built overnight.

Since becoming a Falcon in 2024, he’s made a conscious effort to get to know his teammates off the field, continuing to build a relationship with them even when they’re away from the facility.

“You’ve got to know your guys, not just on the field, but off the field as well. That builds trust. Whenever people ask me how I lead, I say I try to lead by getting to know my guys first because not everybody is going to take leadership the same way, you know,” Penix Jr. “Just trying to figure out those guys, seeing how they react in certain situations and stuff like that. That’s something that comes from off-the-field stuff, seeing how they are. You’re building that relationship off the field. Now, it's like, ‘Okay, now I can rip you,’ because it's all coming out of love because we spent all this time off the field.”

Last season, Penix Jr. was PFF’s eighth-highest graded quarterback (min.100 attempts). While appearing in five games as a rookie, he completed 58.1% of his passes for 775 yards and three touchdowns.

Now entering his first full training camp as the team’s full-time starter, the Washington product wants his teammates to rely on his leadership and effort just as much in Week 1 as they would in the final game of the season, no matter how tough things get.

“ I’ve always had that mindset to come in here and make sure I lead and be an example and somebody that the team can look at as a leader. Somebody that the team knows, whenever I step out on the field, I'm going to give them my all each and every day,” said Penix Jr. “I feel like I've been doing that, and I want to continue to keep elevating and continue to keep doing better with that each and every day. Consistency. That's the biggest thing because anybody could do it on the first day, but when it gets down to stretch, [like] Week 17, Week 18, are you still doing it?”

As the Falcons hand him the keys to the franchise, Penix Jr. isn’t trying to be the loudest voice in the locker room, just the one his teammates trust when it matters the most.