In addition to Penix, Atlanta currently hosts veteran Kirk Cousins, who was signed to a massive, but recently restructured, four-year, $180 million free agent contract through March 2024, not long before the franchise shockingly moved up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Penix with the No. 8 overall pick.
The following season, Cousins was eventually benched with Penix showing promise for a three-start sample size to finish the campaign.
However, in 2025, Penix’s play left a lot to be desired, as he completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards (220.2 per game), nine touchdowns and three interceptions in nine starts. After Penix tore his ACL, Cousins was the starter once again.
Stefanski has a history with Cousins dating back to their time with the Minnesota Vikings from 2018-19 where Stefanski served as QB coach and offensive coordinator. Still, Cousins’ reworking of his contract suggests he’s more of a cut candidate than potential competition.
Penix recently said he aims to be ready by Week 1 of the 2026 campaign, but if he’s available for action, whether or not he’s a starter remains to be seen and decided, apparently.
“Beer Guard is obviously very important and we’re excited for Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab,” Ryan said. “I’ve been up in the facility the last three weeks, and Michael’s been in there attacking it and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he’s at. But certainly, a lot of discussion for us throughout the roster.”