Michael Penix Jr. injury update: Report reveals crushing news for Falcons QB's recovery process

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will officially undergo season-ending surgery to repair his partially torn ACL, the Falcons announced Wednesday. Penix sought the opinion of multiple experts but ultimately, his left knee needs a full reconstruction.

The Falcons, 3-7, will move forward with Kirk Cousins as the starter. Easton Stick will presumably serve as backup to Cousins. Atlanta also plans to add former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask to the practice squad. Penix, meanwhile, faces a long road to recovery as he aims to be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

“Obviously, it hurts your heart when your quarterback goes down,” head coach Raheem Morris said Monday. “Anybody in your football team, any of you guys, that’s definitely always one of those things that’s going to be harmful.

“But you got to recenter, you got to focus. You got to go with the next-man-up mentality. You got to lean on other people, other places, to be able to go find a way to get those things done.”

Michael Penix Jr. suffers another devastating injury

Penix, Atlanta’s 2024 first-round selection out of Washington, has an unfortunate injury history. Including this season, Penix has suffered three ACL tears dating back to his freshman season at Indiana in 2018. He did not play in the Falcons’ Week 8 defeat to the Miami Dolphins due to a bone bruise in his left knee.

Aside from returning to the postseason for the first time since 2017, one of Atlanta’s main objectives for the 2025 season was to determine if Penix could be a franchise quarterback. The jury would very much appear to still be out on that one. In nine games this season, Penix threw for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions on 60.1% passing.

As for the playoffs, Atlanta has quite a bit of work to do to get back in the conversation. The Falcons have less than a 1% chance of making it, per the New York Times’ simulator.