Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to Undergo Surgery

The Atlanta Falcons have announced that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will have season-ending surgery to fix a partially torn left anterior cruciate ligament. On Monday, the team placed Penix on injured reserve due to a knee injury, initiating a series of assessments to evaluate the injury’s extent. After consulting with a second opinion, the decision was made to proceed with surgery.

This marks Penix’s fifth season-ending injury in eight seasons across both college and professional football. Notably, the 25-year-old previously tore his right ACL twice while in college.

Head coach Raheem Morris spoke about Penix in a recent press conference, mentioning, “We’ve seen Michael tested before, and he has always stepped up.” He added, “His last serious injury was a shoulder injury back in 2021, and prior to that, he dealt with a knee injury in 2020. He came back stronger each time. This organization believes in him, and we’re confident he will recover and return even stronger.”

During the Falcons’ recent game, Penix led his team to a close 30-27 overtime loss against the Carolina Panthers. In his sophomore season, Penix completed just over 60 percent of his passes, amassing 1,982 yards with nine touchdown passes and three interceptions.

The Falcons drafted Penix as the eighth overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, even after securing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract during the same offseason. With Penix sidelined, Cousins will take over as the starting quarterback.

Cousins, who is 37 years old, has appeared in three games this season, starting once but going 0-1 in that game. He completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 250 yards without throwing any touchdowns or interceptions. He is set to make his second start of the season when the Falcons (2-8) go against the New Orleans Saints (2-8) on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.