Michael Penix Jr. officially had his ACL surgery on Tuesday, which means that the clock is ticking for the Atlanta Falcons to determine his availability for 2026. Originally, the expectation was that the recovery time would take nine months, meaning the 25-year-old is firmly in line to return in August.
However, an August return would be the best case scenario. Despite Raheem Morris saying that the surgery went well, a premature return would do more harm than good. With this being Penix's third ACL tear since college, the Dirty Birds would be better served not rushing him back out there.
This means that Penix will more than likely miss most (if not all) of training camp while his absence could extend into the early parts of the 2026 season. But Facons' beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter discussed with a surgeon, who told him that nine-month estimation was on the optimistic side.
Michael Penix Jr.'s absence could last even longer than we expected
Ledbetter's discussion with Dr. Danyal Nawabi provided some interesting clarity on Penix's status. Nawabi said that the recovery time can take between nine and 12 months, which means that the second-year signal-caller could end up missing the majority of the 2026 season if recovery doesn't go as planned.
On the bright side, the Washington standout has been down this road before, having torn his right ACL twice in college. However, this injury is to his left knee, which is the same knee he suffered a bone bruise to earlier this season but Penix has never suffered any major injury to his left knee.
It's unknown what affect that will ultimately end up having amid his recovery, but there is a chance that ends up being both a negative and a positive. Needing to fully repair an ACL that has already been repaired is a good sign, but now Penix's injury problems are no longer restricted to one knee.
Before going down in Week 11 against the Panthers, he threw for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions, but the Falcons went just 6-3 in the games he started. For the rest of the season, Kirk Cousins will step in, but it remains unknown what the succession plan is for next season.
Cousins has an out in his $180 million contract and Morris already admitted they'll have to re-evaluate the position this offseason, but the only question left to answer is where this front office goes from here—if they're still employed, that is.