Since Michael Penix Jr.'s season ended early due to injury, all of the questions have been if he'll be ready to play at the start of the 2026 season. With the injury being his third ACL tear since the start of his college career, Atlanta Falcons fans are rightfully concerned, but there's no need to get frantic.
Kirk Cousins has been successful as the starter in his absence, which has seen questions surface about Penix's future in Atlanta. However, it's abundantly clear this coaching staff still sees the 25-year-old as the long-term answer after Raheem Morris gave a positive update about his 2026 status.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is back at the facility, starting his rehab. "Discussions on moving forward" have begun. "His whole process has started as far as what he's going to do. His calendar is laid out."
— Terrin Waack (@TerrinWaack) December 24, 2025
While addressing the media on Wednesday, Morris finally broke his silence on the situation. The second-year coach admitted that Penix is back at the team facility and has started his rehab, which means that his estimated return date in August of 2026 is still very much within striking distance.
And given fans were fearing the worst, this is the most positive update he could've given.
Michael Penix Jr. is on schedule to return early next season
His surgery was roughly a month ago, so that means the clock is on. The estimated recovery time was 9-12 months, which would have him back in late August in a best case scenario. That means his absence will likely extend into next season, as the 12-month mark would come in mid-November.
He'll undoubtedly play in some capacity in 2026, but the context is incredibly vague. That could see him return in Week 1, but it could also come in Week 10. We don't have many answers, and neither does Morris, which is why he also refused to go into further detail about Penix's rehab calendar.
The Washington product has been a bit shaky since being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's also only started just 12 career games due to sitting behind Cousins. But the QB dilemma begs the question about whether Penix's job is safe even once he returns to full health.
Given Penix has been through the ACL recovery process before, I would expect his return timeline to be on the shorter end, but I obviously am no medical professional. With that said though, this is the opposite knee from his previous ACL tears, which isn't ideal since that may alter his return timeline.
Knowing he's back in the builing is a key part of the battle, so that puts a lot more pressure on the offseason recovery.