Michael Penix Jr. Ranks Above Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa in SI's QB Rankings

It’s not about where you’ve been, it’s about where you’re about to go.Matt Verderame, SI

The Atlanta Falcons have placed their present and future hopes on the strong right arm of second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Having relegated former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to the bench last season, head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot turned the keys to the franchise over to Penix.

They've spent years building an infrastructure around the quarterback position, and Penix is poised to reap the rewards in 2025. It's the entire offense that has Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame bullish on Penix and the Falcons' offense in his latest quarterback rankings.

In his rankings on SI, Verderame attempts to rank the quarterbacks for who he thinks they'll be at the end of the season, rather than what they've accomplished to date. It's a similar strategy for fantasy football drafts.

What Russell Wilson of the Giants and Aaron Rodgers of the Steelers have done in the past made little difference to Verderame, as he ranked them No. 28 and No. 21, respectively. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa comes in at No. 23 as health and losing Jonnu Smith in the offseason was a concern.

Penix comes in at No. 20 with Verderame betting on the team that finished No. 6 in the NFL in total offense last season, despite the quarterback problems.

"Penix now leads a team with real talent on offense, led by 1,000-yard receiver Drake London and Pro Bowl running back Bijan Robinson," Verderame wrote on Sports Illustrated.

"A key factor for Penix will be the play of tight end Kyle Pitts, who will be entering the final year of his rookie contract. Pitts has disappointed since his 1,000-yard rookie campaign, with only 1,625 receiving yards over the past three years."

Darnell Mooney always seems to be the forgotten man when national writers take stock of the Falcons. However, if Kyle Pitts returns to Pro Bowl form, 20 is going to be way low on Penix by season's end.

Some other quarterbacks of note on Verderame's list include Saints rookie Tyler Shough coming in at No. 32 and Carolina Panthers' Bryce Young at No. 25

Penix wasn't the only second-year pro Verderame has high hopes for. Drake Maye comes in at No. 14 despite a questionable receiving room. J.J. McCarthy comes in at No. 9 with the Vikings despite never having thrown a pass in the NFL and coming off a season-ending injury, and Jayden Daniels is at No. 5.