The Atlanta Falcons have placed high hopes on the 2025 season. Following the abrupt end to the Kirk Cousins–Michael Penix Jr. experiment, the team is moving forward with last year’s first-round pick as their starting quarterback.
Penix took over late in the season after a rough stretch from Cousins and flashed potential early on. Still, questions remain about his long-term ceiling as the Falcons aim to return to the postseason. One thing working in his favor? He’s got some major supporters—led by Atlanta legend Michael Vick.
Michael Penix Jr. Gets the Michael Vick Endorsement
Michael Vick walked so that Lamar Jackson could run. The original dual-threat quarterback, he held the all-time rushing record for a quarterback until last season. A first overall pick for the Falcons in 2001, he was a revolution at the QB position.
He spent the first six years of his career with the Falcons, earning two Pro Bowl nods in the process, before having a swansong with the Philadelphia Eagles. His ties to Atlanta, though, have been set in stone, as he remains a perpetual fan favorite.
During an appearance on the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network, he couldn’t stop spewing praise for the rookie quarterback. “I think this is gonna be an amazing season for him. Just watching practices, it looks like everything has slowed down.”
Taking over with just three games left in the season, Penix had solid showings all around. Tallying three touchdowns against an equal number of interceptions, his growing pains as a rookie were clear to see.
But against the Washington Commanders and particularly against the Carolina Panthers, fans saw enough from the young quarterback to make them optimistic for the future. As he gets more familiar with the system and becomes the permanent starter in Year 2, his ceiling, and in turn the Falcons’ ceiling, could grow even higher.
With rookie training camps and OTAs underway, Vick was at Atlanta’s fourth OTA. “He threw a couple of touchdown passes today.” But it wasn’t just the highlights; the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year Award winner saw a lot to be impressed by.
“Good reads, moved well in the pocket. Good pocket presence and good feel for the game. And so, with some complementary players around him like Bijan and Drake and Kyle, these guys are gonna really do some special things this year.”
For a team that ranked 10th on PFSN’s Offense+ metric, there isn’t a huge jump for Penix to take. But any improvement on his end over Cousins, who had a four-week stretch where he did not record a single touchdown while throwing eight interceptions, could take the entire Falcons organization to another level.
So far, Vick has made it clear that the youngster has impressed him. Now, if he follows up his performances in training with the actual games, the Falcons could finally have their long-term quarterback answer and a potential playoff appearance in the books.
