Why A.J. Terrell extension is more bad news for Michael Penix Jr.

Thursday morning, the Atlanta Falcons made it official.

Amidst so many contract situations around the league, one of their own has kept relatively quiet while awaiting his new deal.

Cornerback A.J. Terrell has been a staple for the Falcons defense since being drafted in the first round back in 2020, and the former Second Team All-Pro was entering the final year of his contract in 2024.

That was, until the Falcons did the right thing and extended him.

With Terrell locked down, the Falcons have now made it abundantly clear: they're all-in on a Super Bowl window behind the arm of Kirk Cousins. Why else would they have made all the offseason moves they chose to make this year?

For all of the backlash Atlanta received for drafting Michael Penix Jr., we can take the rookie passer almost all the way out of the equation now, because the Falcons want to win with Cousins, and they want to win now.

They wouldn't have made all the moves just to put their hopes into a rookie quarterback, or even a second-year pro. Penix is not playing anytime soon, based on the Falcons' actions. And of course, it brings up the same questions. Why draft Penix in the first place if he's not going to play for a few years?

It seemed like a waste of a pick back in April, and the same holds true today, especially with all of the other moves Atlanta is making.

Putting Penix on ice for a while still makes zero sense, but everything else the Falcons have done? It makes perfect sense.

Welcome to the most confusing organization in the NFL for the year 2024.

The Falcons are going all-in on a Super Bowl run without Michael Penix Jr.

Think about the moves this team has made over the course of the past offseason.

First of all, there has been no indication of Cousins slowing down even at his current age. He's been a consistent 4,000-yard passer, a fantastic locker room presence and about as good as you could ask for in a starting quarterback.

If you were to completely remove the drafting of Penix, altogether, this would appear to be a team going all-in on their championship window over the next couple of years. The Terrell extension is just one of several moves the Falcons have made, and they don't stop making these moves.

Just last week, Atlanta went out and traded for Matthew Judon, adding an experienced pass rusher to their defense. At all three levels, this defense has talent. They just ensured Terrell would be around longer, too, doing what they can to keep their best guys happy.

The offense added Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore to an arsenal already including Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. The offensive line is a fairly dependable unit.

Just take a look around. Again, if you were to take Penix out of the picture, there would likely be even more hype surrounding the Falcons. This is an organization clearly going for it all, and as soon as they can. Cousins looks like he's got a few strong years left, which is why they signed him to a 4-year deal. Is it any coincidence that Terrell's extension was for another four years?

Atlanta now has less money to work with when it's finally time to (theoretically) pay Penix. That's just another small tidbit of the equation, but it's notable, nonetheless.

The bottom line: Penix isn't going to play for a while. He might say all the right things, but the frustration has to be mounting by the day. He has to know this entire situation has made no sense from the beginning, and you've got to feel for the guy.

As for Falcons fans, they can rest assured the organization is making (almost) all the right moves to try and win in the near future.