Falcons president Matt Ryan won't commit to Penix as starter - ESPN

ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan would not commit either way Tuesday to Michael Penix Jr. being the team's starting quarterback.

Penix is recovering from surgery to repair a torn left ACL, which he suffered last November. He is expected to be out anywhere from nine to 12 months.

At Tuesday's introductory news conference for new general manager Ian Cunningham, Ryan was asked if Penix will be the Falcons' starter when he returns and Ryan would not say either way.

«Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can't answer your question on that,» Ryan said. "… I think as we start to get into this process and dive deeper into the roster — how it currently stands, where it's going in the future — I think those are conversations that'll be a part of it.

«Quarterback's obviously very important, and we're excited about Mike and what he's doing with his rehab. I've been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael's been in there attacking that and he's in a good space right now, so we're excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.»

Ryan led the search committee that hired Cunningham last Thursday night and new head coach Kevin Stefanski on Jan. 17. The Falcons, who have not made the playoffs nor had a winning record since 2017, fired then-head coach Raheem Morris and then-GM Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 season in 2025.

Penix, 25, completed 60.1% 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. The Falcons drafted Penix in 2024 with the No. 8 pick.

Kirk Cousins, who is likely to be released due to salary cap considerations, completed 61% of his