- May 21, 2026
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Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski named Tua Tagovailoa the team's starting quarterback for the first game of the season on Monday and that decision was not made over any objection from Michael Penix.
Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 work near the end of August and the quarterback said on Monday that he told Stefanski that he still does not feel like he's fully recovered from last year's torn ACL. Penix, who will be inactive in Week 1, said that he wants "to be stronger" and that it isn't fair to the team to try to go out there until "there's no doubt in my mind that I trust my knee."
"I just told him I'm not where I want to be right now," Penix said, via the team's website. "And I want to be able to be 100 percent so I can help the team win football games. And I'm really close. Really close."
Penix has recovered from two other torn ACLs and said that he feels like he tried to come back too soon in the past, so he wants to avoid a similar situation this time. That opens the door for Tagovailoa to seize the job more convincingly than he did this summer, but that's a risk that Penix appears to be more comfortable with than any having to do with his health.
Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 work near the end of August and the quarterback said on Monday that he told Stefanski that he still does not feel like he's fully recovered from last year's torn ACL. Penix, who will be inactive in Week 1, said that he wants "to be stronger" and that it isn't fair to the team to try to go out there until "there's no doubt in my mind that I trust my knee."
"I just told him I'm not where I want to be right now," Penix said, via the team's website. "And I want to be able to be 100 percent so I can help the team win football games. And I'm really close. Really close."
Penix has recovered from two other torn ACLs and said that he feels like he tried to come back too soon in the past, so he wants to avoid a similar situation this time. That opens the door for Tagovailoa to seize the job more convincingly than he did this summer, but that's a risk that Penix appears to be more comfortable with than any having to do with his health.