After what's been a tenuous couple of months, the Atlanta Falcons are expecting to get Michael Penix Jr. in back for training camp, meaning he's right back in play to be the Week 1 starter. He still has to beat out Tua Tagovailoa in a quarterback battle, but that won't kick off until camp begins in mid-July.
Penix was already spotted throwing during Falcons' rookie minicamp, which is a non-contact event anyways. Some photos were released, and the team released a video of the 26-year-old throwing to Drake London from last weekend on Twitter, where his mechanics looked way better than ever before.
Speaking of London, he looks to be the biggest benefactor of Penix's looming return as his favorite target. The fifth-year receiver is still looking to receive a long-term extension from the Falcons, and having the signal-caller he has the best chemistry with return to the lineup could help him get paid.
Michael Penix Jr.'s return is going to help Drake London finally get paid
Let me go deep into the archives for this one. This stat from November confirms that London is best when MPJ is on the field. Since Penix's first start in Week 16 of 2024, no QB-WR duo had more yards than Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London, but this ended when they both went down with injuries.
Most of the 25-year-old's breakout 2024 season came when Kirk Cousins was starting, but it was the 2024 first-round pick who really unlocked London's best football. So in the event that Penix Jr. wins the starting job in camp, I would expect him to pepper his WR1 with targets just like he did in 2025.
The USC product has all the makings of a long-term WR1. He's a big body, he's good in the red zone, and most importantly, he gets the most out of his young quarterback (who he's coincidentally younger than). So Penix's return should make paying London a bigger priority for the Dirty Birds.
I'm no psychic, but the 6-foot-4, 215-pound wideout will command a pretty penny to extend. It'll likely take more then $30 million a year to lock him down long-term, which would make him one of the 10 highest-paid receivers in NFL history. And the Falcons shouldn't hesitate to drop him a bag.
Spotrac projects London's market value to be around four years and $130.7 million, which would come in at roughly $32.7 million a year. That would make him the sixth-highest paid WR in the league, narrowly one-upping his fellow 2022 draftee Garrett Wilson's extension with the New York Jets.
While the chemistry between Penix and London is unmatched, they should lock down their WR1 for the foreseeable future even if it turns out that the southpaw isn't Atlanta's long-term franchise QB, and as soon as he's back in the lineup, I expect Penix to help raise the price tag for his star wideout.
To be honest, it's foolish that the Falcons have yet to extend Drake. Terry Fontenot kicked the can down the road way too far, and now it'll cost Ian Cunningham. He's set to be a free agent in 2027, so if they are unable to extend him in the near future, they risk losing Penix's favorite target next offseason.
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