Since Matt Ryan has been hired as the Atlanta Falcons' first-ever president of football, there is nobody that stands to benefit from that decision more than Michael Penix Jr. Ryan has been a mentor to Penix since being drafted, but his main priority is setting his young QB up for long-term success.
The 25-year-old has yet to cement his status as the Falcons' long-term answer at QB, but he's only made 12 career starts. He's nursing another torn ACL and his status for the early part of 2026 is in doubt, yet Matty Ice was still able to land the perfect head coach to help lead Penix's development.
After a long search, the Dirty Birds hired Kevin Stefanski to be their next head coach late Saturday night, which is the best case scenario for the former top-10 pick. And he seems to be well aware, as after the hire was announced, he reacted to the news with just two words on Instagram: "let's work".
Michael Penix Jr. shared this on his Instagram story #Falcons pic.twitter.com/MhyzjS53O2
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 18, 2026
Despite a rough last two seasons in Cleveland, 43-year-old was heralded as one of the top head coaching candidates available this coaching cycle. Now that both Atlanta's QB and head coach are finally being set up for success, this marriage could end up working out perfectly for all sides.
Michael Penix Jr. seems to be pretty excited about the Kevin Stefanski hire
Penix has displayed flashes of immense potential throughout his NFL career, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he wasn't a fit for OC Zac Robinson's system. We don't know who will be Stefanski's play-caller with the Falcons yet, but anything has to be better than what he endured last season.
The Falcons' previous regime had no idea how to cater to the southpaw's strengths. Robinson had him operating out of the pistol and rarely dialed up play-action looks despite the Washington product boasting elite arm talent—and they knew he was a play-action QB during his college days.
Penix will now be working with a two-time Coach of the Year who took a team led by an aging Joe Flacco to the playoffs and helped develop Baker Mayfield earlier in his career. His supporting cast is also a significant upgrade from what Stefanski is used to, so he'll definitely be able to maximize the talent at his disposal.
Luckily, he has a good connection with Drake London, and Kyle Pitts is expected back. Stefanski will have a lot to work to do with Penix, but between them and a jack-of-all trades like Bijan Robinson, he could end up having the same impact on his development that Josh McDaniels has had throughout Drake Maye's breakout season.
While the offense may not be as perfect for his skillset as hiring Klint Kubiak would've been, beggars can't be choosers. Atlanta needed an experienced head coach and an innovative offensive mind, and Penix seems to be well aware (and excited) for next season now that they got the best of both worlds.