In addition to Penix, Atlanta currently houses veteran Kirk Cousins, who was signed to a massive, yet recently restructured, four-year, $180 million free-agent deal in March of 2024, not long before the franchise shockingly traded up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Penix at No. 8 overall.
In the ensuing season, Cousins was eventually benched with Penix showing promise over a three-start sample size to conclude the campaign.
However, in 2025, Penix’s play left plenty to be desired, as he completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards (220.2 per game), nine touchdowns and three interceptions in nine starts. After Penix tore his ACL, Cousins was the starter yet again.
Stefanski has a history with Cousins dating back to shared time with the Minnesota Vikings from 2018-19 with Stefanski serving as a QB coach and offensive coordinator. Still, Cousins’ re-working of his contract suggests he’s a cut candidate more so than potential competition.
Recently, Penix said he’s aiming to be ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 campaign, but if he is available for action, whether or not he’s the starter remains to be seen and decided, apparently.
“Quarterback’s obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab,” Ryan said. “I’ve been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael’s been in there attacking that and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.”
