Inside The Huskies

Michael Penix Jr. Becomes $22 Million Man for the Falcons

The former UW quarterback agrees to terms on his rookie contract.

Dan Raley

Former UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. meets with Atlanta media after the Falcons drafted him in April.
Former UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. meets with Atlanta media after the Falcons drafted him in April. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Penix Jr. was known to take his University of Washington offensive linemen out to dinner and pick up the tab.

If anyone was holding back on any menu items back then, those days are long gone. Steak and lobster, no problem. Bring out the most expensive wine. Multiple desserts all around.

On Friday, the former Husky quarterback and No. 8 pick overall in the NFL Draft agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year rookie contract worth $22.88 million, with a $13.46 million signing bonus included in the package, according to multiple media sources.

He has become the wealthiest of the record-tying 10 UW players drafted in April -- expected to just edge out his favorite Husky receiver, Rome Odunze, who remains unsigned as the ninth draft pick for the Chicago Bears but is projected to receive a four-year $22.7 million deal with a $13.3 million signing bonus.

That's $45 million worth of Montlake football players right there.

For Penix, it's his just reward for not only being ultra talented but also for working through four season-ending injuries at Indiana, not giving up and taking a chance on coming to Washington and jumpstarting his hardluck career.

The Huskies were just the platform he needed to sell himself, as he led them to a collective 25-3 record over his two seasons, to victories over Texas in the Sugar and Alamo bowls, to three consecutive wins over Oregon, which included a Pac-12 championship, and to a road win over USC, never an easy endeavor.

Penix finished second to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels in the Heisman race, received the Maxwell Award as the nation's top player and set numerous UW passing records. He became such a beloved UW player he received a memorable postgame hug from his coach, Kalen DeBoer, in a news conference after beating Oregon during the regular season (as shown in the video).

He'll now settle in as a very well paid back-up QB to Kirk Cousins, waiting his turn to lead the Falcons. Penix is healthy, wealthy and he'll play just 450 miles from his Tampa, Florida, hometown.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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