Falcons president Matt Ryan won’t commit to Penix as starter

ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan made no commitment Tuesday that Michael Penix will be the team’s starting quarterback.

Penix is ​​recovering from surgery to repair a torn left ACL he suffered last November. He is expected to be out between nine and twelve months.

During new general manager Ian Cunningham’s introductory press conference Tuesday, Ryan was asked if Penix would be the Falcons’ starter when he returns and Ryan didn’t want to answer either way.

“Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can’t answer your question about that,” Ryan said. “…I think as we start to get into this process and dig deeper into the list – how it looks right now, where it’s going in the future – I think those are conversations that will be part of it.

“The quarterback is obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab. I’ve been in the facility the last three weeks, and Michael has been there attacking and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he’s at. But definitely, a lot of talk for us on the entire roster.”

Ryan led the search committee that hired Cunningham last Thursday night and new head coach Kevin Stefanski on January 17. The Falcons, who haven’t made the playoffs or had a winning record since 2017, fired then-head coach Raheem Morris and then general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 season in 2025.

Penix, 25, completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 1,982 yards in nine games last season with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. The team was 3-6 in his starts. Penix was drafted in 2024 with the 8th overall pick.

Kirk Cousins, who will likely be released for salary cap reasons, completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games. With Cousins ​​as the starter, the Falcons were 5-3.

Stefanski praised Penix last week during his introductory press conference.

“I think you see on tape a player who can run progressions, who can layup the ball, who can push the ball to all areas of the court,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, I was very productive in college, I had some really, really, really good times here in the pros. So I just see a young player that will continue to develop and get better.”