FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Michael Penix Jr. was as surprised as anyone when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
“I’m not going to say I knew that was coming,” the former University of Washington quarterback said. “I knew when the phone call came through. I had no idea (before that).”
Not many people did. The Falcons were widely expected to focus on defense during the draft after signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to the largest total value free-agency deal in NFL history in March — a four-year contract that guarantees Cousins $90 million over the next two years and could pay him as much as $180 million over the course of the deal.
GO DEEPER
NFL Draft 2024 Round 1 grades: Falcons, Broncos get Cs for Penix, Nix; Bears earn two A’s
The 35-year-old Cousins, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, wasn’t aware Penix would be the pick until a Falcons official called him minutes before to inform him, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who reported Cousins was “stunned.”
That was a fairly universal reaction. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts was being interviewed on a Bleacher Report broadcast when Atlanta made its pick.
“I’m very shocked, I’m not going to lie. I did think we were going defense,” Pitts said. “I think this is great for (Penix) to learn from such a professional like Kirk and see how he operates on and off the field. He’s a great young player. I can’t wait to get him in the building. This is a good one. I like this one.”
Kyle Pitts live reaction to the Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr. 👀
Watch here: https://t.co/NHswLhR6K8 pic.twitter.com/2PheNRoyOV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 26, 2024
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris declined to address the specifics of their conversation with Cousins.
“Reactions are pretty private,” Morris said. “He got called on the clock because of the sensitive time and the issues you have going on. There’s never a right time to talk to a quarterback about those things, and reactions are always going to be private unless Kirk decides to tell you some of those things. But he’s a competitor just like we all are, and you can expect those things to go like you would think.”
Cousins’ recent injury played no part in the decision to draft Penix, Morris said.
“It was pretty simple for us. We won’t have the ability to be picking this high again with the guys we’ve got,” the coach said. “We thought it would be important for us to address our future quarterback when we’re picking this low. We don’t want to be picking here anymore. So let’s address that right now.”
Penix was the No. 52 overall prospect and No. 6 quarterback on Dane Brugler’s Big Board. The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder was a first-team All-American last season after throwing for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns and leading the Huskies to the College Football Playoff. Penix threw for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in his final two years of college, but his first four seasons, which he played at Indiana, all were cut short by injury. He has torn his right ACL twice and had surgery on both shoulders, a history that worried some NFL teams but not the Falcons, who said they were comfortable with his medical history.
“If you believe in a quarterback, you have to take him,” Fontenot said. “If he sits for four or five years, that’s a great problem to have because we’re doing so well at that position. It’s as simple as if you see a guy at that position you believe in, you have to take him.”
Atlanta didn’t receive “any significant offers” from teams trying to trade up to the No. 8 pick, Fontenot said.
“Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We are very excited about Kirk and this team,” Fontenot said. “We’re very excited about that quarterback room. Kirk is our quarterback. Adding Michael Penix is thinking about the future.”
And the Falcons are willing to be patient with the quarterback succession plan.
Learning under Cousins is “the perfect situation” for Penix, Morris said.
“Obviously, it’s not going to be these happy feelings of emotion that everybody wants it to be right away, but these guys are professionals,” Morris said. “We are professionals. We love each other. I believe we will get this thing working together.”
Fontenot and Morris compared their plan to how the Green Bay Packers have handled their last two quarterback transitions, but the Falcons are making a much bigger investment in their backup plan than the Packers did. Green Bay selected Aaron Rodgers with the No. 24 pick of the 2005 draft and Jordan Love with the No. 26 pick of the 2020 draft.
As the No. 8 pick, Penix will receive a four-year, $22.8 million contract, and the Falcons will have a fifth-year option because Penix was drafted in the first round. After committing $7.9 million of cap space to the quarterback position last year for Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke and Logan Woodside, Atlanta will commit $35.2 million this year for Cousins, Penix and Heinicke and much more in future years.
Penix, who will be 24 when the season begins, said he is fine with starting his professional career backing up Cousins.
“I’m going to come in and learn, try to soak in all the knowledge I can from him,” he said from his hometown of Tampa, Fla., where he watched the draft with family and friends. “He’s been in the league a long time, and there’s a reason behind that. I’m going in there to have fun and get better each and every day. I’m trying to make an impact not just on the field but in the locker room as well.”
Penix is the fourth consecutive offensive player taken by the Falcons with a top-10 pick, joining Pitts (No. 4, 2021), wide receiver Drake London (No. 8, 2022) and running back Bijan Robinson (No. 8, 2023).
Penix does have believers beyond the Falcons brain trust. An NFL offensive assistant told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman that he thought Penix was the third-best quarterback available in the draft.
“If he would’ve run a little more, he would definitely have been top-10,” the assistant said. “He and (No. 1 pick Caleb Williams) have the best anticipation.”
Michael Penix Jr is just showing off with this throw.
Anticipation + Accuracy + Arm Talent = Long Term Success in NFL pic.twitter.com/Pz48VkidsP
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) April 23, 2024
“His arm confidence and willingness to attack every square inch of the field can be a productive formula in the right situation,” Brugler wrote in “The Beast.” “His mental toughness will be a strong selling point in NFL draft rooms.”
Several Falcons executives and coaches made a trip to Seattle on April 5 for a private workout with Penix that lasted 45 minutes, the quarterback said.
“It was great. They liked how I threw the ball,” Penix said. “I think I had a great day throwing the ball in that session. It was kind of quick, but we had a great time.”
The Falcons also met with Penix at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He did not come to Flowery Branch for a top-30 visit.
“Obviously, it’s something I have been dreaming of since I was a kid,” Penix said of being drafted. “I’m blessed. That’s all I can say is that I’m blessed.”
(Photo: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)
