Michael Penix Jr.
QB #9 — Atlanta Falcons
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About Michael Penix Jr.
Michael Penix Jr. was drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons approximately two months after the same team gave Kirk Cousins $180 million guaranteed. The pick made no sense on paper, made even less sense when you thought about it for more than ten seconds, and immediately became one of the most debated draft decisions in recent memory. Penix sat on the sideline, holding a clipboard, watching the quarterback who was supposed to be the answer start games while the internet spent every Sunday asking when it would be his turn.
The permanent QB controversy energy around Penix is impossible to escape. Every incompletion Kirk throws, someone posts a photo of Penix on the bench with a caption about patience. Every good Kirk game, someone posts the same photo with a caption about how Penix will never see the field. Penix himself has said all the right things publicly, which only makes the discourse louder, because a quiet backup quarterback is a blank canvas for the entire internet to project their opinions onto. He came out of Washington with a cannon arm and a medical history that includes multiple knee surgeries, and both of those facts get weaponized depending on which side of the debate you're on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Michael Penix Jr. situation so memeable?
The timing. Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins to a massive fully guaranteed deal, then used a top-ten pick on Penix weeks later. It created an instant, permanent quarterback controversy that requires zero actual football to fuel. Just the existence of Penix on the roster turns every Kirk Cousins performance into a referendum. Good game from Kirk? 'See, we didn't need Penix.' Bad game from Kirk? 'Put in Penix.' The loop never ends.
Last updated: April 2026