Inside The Huskies

Time to Spread His Wings: Penix Named as Falcons QB Starter

The former Husky standout will replace Kirk Cousins behind center in Atlanta.

Dan Raley

Ex-Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will draw his first NFL start for the Atlanta Falcons.
Ex-Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will draw his first NFL start for the Atlanta Falcons. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Michael Penix Jr., patiently waiting to launch his NFL career in a meaningful manner, will wait no more.

On Tuesday night, the Atlanta Falcons announced they will start Penix, the former University of Washington standout and 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up, against the New York Giants on Sunday in that Southern city.

With a less than satisfactory 7-7 record, which includes four losses in the past five games, the Falcons will make the move to replace veteran Kirk Cousins with Penix, who was the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft last April.

Penix will get somewhat of a soft landing for his starting debut by opening up against the lowly Giants (2-12) at home.

"After review, we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward," coach Raheem Morris said in a statement released by the team. "This was a football decision."

With the team underperforming after making a four-year, $180 million investment in Cousins, Falcons fans had grown impatient with the quarterback situation and called for Penix to take over.

The Florida native moves behind center after a sensational two college seasons at Washington, leading the Huskies to 25 victories in 28 outings, culminated by an appearance in the CFP national championship game against Michigan last January. After transferring from Indiana, he threw for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns for the UW.

For the Falcons, Penix previously made two mop-up appearances against the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, completing a collective 3 of 5 passes for 38 yards.

The 6-foot-3, 216-pound Penix recently had voiced his support for Cousins to turn things around and stayed ready for whatever was coming his way.

"I have to be ready, because you never know when the opportunity comes," the rookie quarterback said.

Indeed, it has come.

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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