Michael Penix Compared to Future Hall of Fame Quarterback

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – Day seven of Atlanta Falcons training camp has come and gone, but the dreary weather did not dampen the enthusiasm that emanates from the team or its quarterback. 

NFL Network was on hand Monday, and they got their first look at Michael Penix as the starting guy under center. Overall, they came away impressed with what they saw from the second-year guy. 

Brian Baldinger, particularly, was enamored with Penix in spite of the bad weather. 

“Really, it starts with Michael Penix Jr right now. [He’s] in charge,” he said. “I think people know this, but when you see it live, his arm is a live arm. Whether it’s the deep ball with great accuracy to a Ray-Ray McCloud or a Drake London, or whether it’s a stick throw over the middle of the field to Kyle Pitts, or whether it’s a swing route to Bijan Robinson coming out of the backfield. The guy has a very accurate and live arm.” 

His co-host, Cameron Wolfe, took that analysis to the next level. He was sold on Penix after watching practice and then speaking with Zac Robinson as they came off the field together.

“He is so smart,” Wolfe recalled the Falcons' offensive coordinator telling him after practice on Monday. “Zac Robinson was with Matt Stafford with the Rams, and he says he processes like Matthew Stafford. [Robinson] said, ‘The way he goes through information, we can give him a lot more than most young quarterbacks because he can handle it, and I can wait for the world to see Michael Penix in year two.’” 

Stafford, who has been one of the most prolific passers in NFL history since entering the league in 2008, is firmly on a Hall of Fame trajectory. The Super Bowl winning quarterback’s passing yards (56,047) rank 11th most all-time for regular season games, but his list of accolades is extensive. 

The Falcons will be counting on the second-year guy to carry them to the postseason for the first time since 2018, and they can certainly hope that they have a player like Stafford on their roster. Penix flashed his arm strength in the team’s final three games last season, throwing for 737 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. 

After the strong statistical finish to the 2024 campaign, Penix will look to carry over some of that success with him in his first full season as a starter in Atlanta. While fans will have to wait until Week 1 to see their starting quarterback, expectations keep getting kicked up a notch for Penix.