The Atlanta Falcons added to their quarterback room this offseason with the addition of Tua Tagovailoa, and that signals a grim reality for Michael Penix Jr.
Tagovailoa has had his own struggles lately, which led to his departure from Miami. However, with Penix returning from injury and a new face in the room, one NFL analyst has a warning for the former Washington Husky.
Michael Penix’s Seat ‘Will Be Incredibly Hot’ Amid Return With Tua Tagovailoa Looming
The Falcons drafted Penix with the eighth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, while Kirk Cousins was Atlanta’s starter at the time.
Many questioned the move at the time, as the Falcons had just paid Cousins as well. However, Cousins began to struggle in his first season in Atlanta, and the team pulled the trigger to start their first-round quarterback.
Penix played in five games his rookie year, including three starts, passing for 775 yards and three touchdowns. He started nine games in 2025 before he suffered a torn ACL, his third of his football career, which ended his season.
Now, with Penix in recovery and another quarterback looming in Atlanta’s room, PFN’s Jacob Infante thinks the young quarterback’s seat is getting pretty hot.
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“The addition of Tua Tagovailoa should tell you the Atlanta Falcons are disappointed with how Michael Penix Jr.’s start to his NFL career has been,” Infante wrote. “He’s averaging fewer than 200.0 passing yards per game, and he’s had fewer than one passing touchdown per game. He also partially tore his ACL in November, adding to his extensive injury history.”
“Once he returns, his seat will be incredibly hot with his fifth-year option looming next offseason,” Infante added.
Penix’s rookie contract is fully guaranteed for four years at $22.88 million, and the Falcons will have to decide after the 2026 season if they want to exercise his fifth-year option. However, by that point, Atlanta will know whether Penix is the guy it wants running the franchise for the near future.
It’s tough to judge Penix’s performance so far because he was kind of thrown into the fire in his rookie season, and last year was cut short by injury. But the quarterback has just 14 total touchdowns in 14 games.
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Tagovailoa has 6 years of experience and has a 44-32 record as a starter in the NFL. He’s also played in the playoffs. The former Dolphin also has injury concerns, though, with his numerous concussions, and his most recent play in Miami didn’t exactly scream franchise quarterback.
But Tagovailoa has led the NFL in passing yards, completion percentage, and touchdown percentage in three separate years across his six seasons in the league.
According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, Tagovailoa was among the top-8 quarterbacks in the league from 2022 to 2024 and, when healthy, has shown the ability to lead a quality offense.
The 2026 season will be a telling year for the Falcons and what the next steps are at the quarterback position, whether Tagovailoa gets a chance, if Penix takes control, or if Atlanta could be looking for a new signal-caller altogether.
