With full season of starts under his belt, a look at Michael Penix Jr.’s body of work.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. attempts a pass during warm-ups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)
FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons safety Jessie Bates III has seen Michael Penix Jr. develop from a 23-year-old with a girlfriend to a 26-year-old with a wife and a child on the way.
Bates has also seen Penix develop into something else: a quarterback capable of leading the Falcons for a long time.
“When No. 9 is out there, this is a completely different football team,” Bates said Monday. “I really, truly believe that he’s a franchise quarterback. … You can sleep good at night knowing you got Michael Penix playing quarterback for you.”
A ninth-year veteran in his fourth season as a team captain in Atlanta, Bates certainly carries a reputable voice. Whether the Falcons’ decision-makers see Penix in the same light remains locked in a vault behind closed doors, but their sample size keeps growing in a year that needs to end with a firm answer on Penix’s future.
htrow yrotciv rednu detaefednu ot hguorht driht eht eht strats s’nosaes ylsuoiverp revo no fo won yawdim gnidael sih sih sah lluf ,ngiapmac tleb ta retfa a a yadnuS .muidatS naS ,xineP LFN zneB-sedecreM ocsicnarF snoclaF sre94 02-92
,sdray sdray ev’dluow snwodhcuot snwodhcuot deit ,strats neves .nosaes .drocer deknar skcabretrauq kcip gnissap sessap llarevo fo htnin tsal snoitpecretni ni ni ni sih sah rof rof ,txetnoc detelpmoc gnilipmoc dna dna gnoma ssorca a ehT xineP xineP .oN roF 8 01-7 %5.16 678,3 12 ,4202 ht81 71
s’tI“ s’eH“ ,keew etamitlu ot thgit gniees ”.ees .dias ytterp gniyalp tsuj tsuj s’ti woh s’eh gniworg taerg ,emag dne hcae hcae looc .rotitepmoc ediseb na sttiP ”,ekiM elyK dnA
gniworg“ sworht eht eht eht taht ,sekat spans ,sees gninnur ”.reyalp snip no erom erom erom ,sekam tol ti si eh eh eh eh .steg .ecneirepxe sesnefed retteb kcab sa dedda a a ehT iksnafetS nosniboR xineP niveK snoclaF hcaoC najiB
htiw .snrut ot wohs ,syas ,reyalp erom .ti si steg retteb gninnigeb iksnafetS xineP ynA
I“ dnA“ — — ,enoz sniw tahw ev’ew epyt esoht kniht sgniht eseht eseht ”,meht eht eht eht s’taht .taht gnikcats gnikcats esnes nees ees .dias der ,serusserp seihposolihp fo fo fo fo laretil gninrael si ni ni ni ,semag semag morf morf secneirepxe tnereffid tnereffid tnereffid ,segarevoc tub hcnub hcnub htob llab dna dna osla ydaerla lla lla a a a iksnafetS ,ekiM I
,oS“ ruoy uoy uoy ,keew keew yrev yrt ot ot ot hguorht kniht eseht eseht neht ”.snosaes eno fo nrael tsuj evah og morf ,secneirepxe hcae od yb ,retteb tseb eb sa dna I
eht langis ,dias fo fo yrassecen larutan ytfel pmuj si ,htworg rof ecneirepxe ,ecnedifnoc .rellac tcudorpyb tseggib aera dna a a nosniboR s’xineP
tsuJ“ I“ ev’uoy ruoy ot emit tuohguorht kniht kniht .gniht neht eht eht s’taht taht .dias yllaer ,sdaer ,kcabretrauq fo gnikam ”,tol tsuj ,ti ni ni ni evisserpmi sih sih sih sih mih s’eh sah sah nworg worg tog .emag ,snoisiced tnedifnoc ecnedifnoc ecnedifnoc tliub tseggib gnieb gnieb neeb neeb tcepsa na a nosniboR ”.LFN LFN I tuB dnA
rednu ot taht naht sedirts ,ffats yltnacifingis tnacifingis dias skcabretrauq ,ylsuoiverp yalp evisneffo wen erom edam del ni d’eh sah sah enod rotanidrooc gnihcaoc hcaoc retnec yb .tcepsa deksa dna dna naV naV ymmoT ehT ,iksnafetS seeR xineP xineP ,tleP tleP ’snoclaF xelA
noisrev eht fo erom erom erutam gnitteg ,detaluclac era osla a .xineP snoclaF tuB
sdray ot werht eht eht naht ,tnelat ,skcabretrauq gnirusserp syalp sessap tuo gnisoppo ylno fo fo dedeen gnitimil nwonk nwonk wenk ni .yrruh sih sih sih eh sdnah retaerg teg rof rof evif evisolpxe dleifnwod esnefed llab mra dna tsniaga a a xineP xineP gnoL gnicaF .sre94 43 01
— sdray niw erehw saw htaenrednu ot eht eht hcus .strats ,strats tsetrohs tsom-dnoces lanoisseforp ylsuoiverp rep ,sessap sessap ro snoitpo nepo ylno no erom ni ni ni sih sih sih eh eh eh eh emag dnuof tsrif denrae .detcennoc detcennoc detelpmoc ,reerac degareva ,tpmetta dna dna lla ria ssorca gnidrocca a .statS ,oS txeN LFN eH neG tuB 7.5 52 12 4-0
hcihw saw siht eht eht eht strats .naps trams ,nosaes ,evitcudorp stniop rep sdael ni sih ,emag evif ,tneiciffe gnirud gnigareva era dna dna xineP LFN snoclaF 13
s’tahT“ eH“ .dias reviecer ”,slaed ”.P.M nodnoL ekarD
pets .noitcetorp :noitarutam yek ni llab s’xineP rehtonA
raey dessot ot nworht werht eerht siht eht eht eht eht strats ,trats xis ,ecnis htneves .nosaes nosaes ylno eno no fo fo fo ti .snoitpecretni noitpecretni ni sih sih sih d’eh tsrif tsrif dne hcae evird tubed esolc reerac emac dna na tsniaga xineP .srekcaP s’eH neerG yB yaB 4202
s’tI“ htiw snwodhcuot gnissot meht eht ecnis ,syas .dias .skcabretrauq tsap revo lanoitapucco on snoitpecretni eh drazah sah ”,neppah annog ,semag ruof rof thgie dediova era na keeW iksnafetS xineP ,snoitpecretnI tuB .4
gnidnatsrednU“ esohT“ er’uoy er’uoy er’uoy wodniw nehw nehw nehw tahw gnidnatsrednu hcuot ot ot ot thgit siht kniht s’ereht eht eht s’taht s’taht ”.taht taht maet ekat hcus .dias pir skcabretrauq rehto tel tel ”,eugael tsuj ,ti ti ti otni ni gniog gniog gniog emag ,rof rof leef ,nwod t’nod laed kcehc ecnahc sllac gib esuaceb dna a a a a iksnafetS I
.raey raey ot ot ot ot wodniw-thgit worht siht siht ,nosaes nosaes nesir stniop egatnecrep egatnecrep rep tsal tsal ni ni sih sah sah sah morf morf morf nellaf deppord kcabpord peed llab )dedda gnidrocca .statS s’xineP txeN siH neG APE ,ylesrevnoC %4.9 %9.6 .6202 5202 %9.41 %5.21 40.0- 90.0+ detcepxe(
nehw ,yllacitrev ,nrut .oot er’yeht eht taht gnikat llits derusserp gnikcip stnenoppo fo ,erom erom .yllacidohtem .ssel tfel tfel gnivael spuyal si sih s’eh s’eh s’eh sah dnah ,retsaf sesnefed gnignellahc elbapac tub tub gniztilb gib gnieb llab ,elbaliava mra era trapa dna xineP nI eH sesnefeD
tahW“ tuB“ er’uoy er’uoy uoy nehw nehw ew ew ew ,tnaw tnaw tnaw ot ot ot ot ;emit er’yeht ,ereht ,ereht eht eht eht eht s’taht taht llams .dias .pir kcabretrauq hsup yalp seitinutroppo ton ton ton ton ekam tel tsuj ti si woh taerg gniog gniog .dleif nwod t’nod yletinifed ”.snoisiced sediced ”,hcaoc llab llab era dna lla a s’tahT iksnafetS ,ekiM dnA
sdray nehw keew rehtegot hguorht eerht eht eht gnorts llits degavlas hguor sretrauq retrauq eliforp ecnamrofrep gnissap esiwrehto ylno dleif-no fo ten deen si ni sih eh dah htruof .ycnetsisnoc gnimoc erofeb dna na tsniaga tsniaga .noonretfa a s’xineP enO ogacihC ,sraeB 55 ,sre94
ot eht eht nees ,msimitpo deifitsuj evah rof sehsalf tnetxe .desserpxe neve hguone snoclaF tuB setaB
litnu ot ot siht driht eht eht setammaet remmus nruter tcepser noitatilibaher .ssecorp ecitcarp dleif-ffo fo ton elddim redael ni desserpmi sih sih eh sah deniag morf rof etipsed sehcaoc deraelc dekcehc ylniatrec .xob gnieb sa hcaorppa dna dna a xineP eH ’snoclaF ,tsuguA dnA LCA 11-no-11
s’eH“ dnA“ su dehpmuirt pot ot ot ”,hguorht hguorht eht llits ees .dias ytterp tuo tuo no si mih s’eh ereh yhtlaeh dah og rof tnereffid ”.looc emoc emoc eb gnilttab selttab dna dna lla sttiP
now niw ,drawpu .oot ot eht eht eht ffats .moor elbanosaer gnitniop ,smrofrep ,eciffo erom mret-gnol rekcol speek s’ti fi sih ll’eh eh eh tnorf morf .setaerc tnemtimmoc gnihcaoc retteb eveileb feileb worra dna ydaerla a ehT xineP s’eH ’snoclaF dnA
s’eH“ s’eH“ er’ew tnaw ot eht eht eht taht gnitrats os ”,pihs .dias ,kcabretrauq reenoip fo ”.erom em sekam tsuj woh .mih eh ,sthgif thgif neve dniheb lla gnieeS sttiP
Daniel Flick covers the Falcons and NFL for the AJC. He previously covered the Falcons for Sports Illustrated and chronicled the Indiana Hoosiers’ fairy-tale run to the national championship in the 2025-26 season.
