Not very long after publicly breaking his silence on the Atlanta Falcons' decision to franchise tag Kyle Pitts, Terry Fontenot is back in the public eye. Just weeks later, Fontenot is being interviewed, but this time, it's about a different player he once drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft... Michael Penix Jr.
After the Falcons agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Tua Tagovailoa on Monday, questions have surfaced surrounding Penix's future in Atlanta. Many fans still doubt if he's the long-term franchise QB, especially since he's coming off another significant knee injury, but Fontenot is still a believer.
During an interview with SiriusXM NFL radio, Fontenot was asked about the Tagovailoa signing and how he thinks Penix is handling even more adversity. And based on what the 45-year-old knows about his former first-round pick, he believes that he'll be able to overcome this with no problem.
"I know the mindset of Mike is to focus on the rehab, do everything you can to get healthy, and get back on the field so you can go and compete, and help this team. He's gonna do everything he can do to get himself right, he's been through adversity, particularly in college, and that dude just comes back stronger. He has the right mindset, he's a real dude, so (I'm) definitely rooting for him in that situation."Terry Fontenot
The 25-year-old truly does come off as unflappable, and that's what you'd expect from a player who has been doubted as much as he has. Penix has suffered so many serious injuries, so even though the Dirty Birds are adding competition (or insurance), all he can focus on is what's in front of him.
Even if many Falcons fans don't, Terry Fontenot still believes in Michael Penix Jr. despite the Tua Tagovailoa deal
Even through his belief in the former Washington Husky, Fontenot still thinks signing Tagovailoa was "a good business decision" for the Falcons, especially given the price tag. Because the Miami Dolphins are paying his contract, there's no financial hurdles involved should this signing end poorly.
After all, Tua is a former Pro Bowler who led the NFL in passing yards and completion percentage in two different seasons not too long ago. He still has what it takes to be a good signal-caller, especially in a better situation in Atlanta, but he's more of a spot starter in case something goes awry with Penix.
The 29-year-old is still relatively young, he just needed a scenery change and the Dolphins needed a reset. I get why people are worried given his career-worst season and his injury history, but I would take paying the Alabama product the minimum over another $35 million cap hit for Kirk Cousins.
While Fontenot brought up his ACL rehab, the expectation is that he'll be back in time to start for Week 1... assuming he's able to fend off Tagovailoa in a training camp QB battle. We'll see how he adjusts to Kevin Stefanski's scheme as Week 1 approaches, but I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.
Nobody ever said the road to the top would be easy. Patrick Mahomes sat for an entire season before he got his opportunity with the Chiefs. Modern NFL fans are too impatient surrounding the development of QBs, so hopefully Stefanski and this new staff are the right support system for Penix.