Arthur Blank comments on the future of the Falcons quarterback position

Arthur Blank held his first press conference since the firing of Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris, and while most of it amounted to little more than damage-control mumbo jumbo, one interesting point he did touch on was the Falcons quarterback situation moving forward.

According to Blank, he still views Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s franchise quarterback.

“I do think Michael is our franchise quarterback.”

Arthur Blank affirms that he believes Michael Penix Jr. is the guy going forward. #Falcons pic.twitter.com/QbSReMG6tz

— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) January 8, 2026

Penix had his moments prior to the injury, but at the end of the day, he finished with a 3–6 record, throwing nine touchdowns against three interceptions while leading one of the most ineffective offenses in the league.

The arm strength is second to none. Penix can make throws most quarterbacks can only dream of, but the flaws are plentiful. He remains a slow processor who is often locked onto his first read. His accuracy has been sub-par, reflected in a 59.6% completion rate across 12 career starts. He appears hesitant to attack the middle of the field and, despite being an athletic quarterback, rarely uses his legs to extend plays.

Then there are the injury concerns. Penix is coming off his third ACL surgery and will not be ready for Week 1. Arthur Blank may still view him as the franchise guy, and it’s not as if the Falcons are going to move on from him this offseason, but it’s very possible the next regime will operate as though they still need to find an answer at quarterback. To this point, Penix has shown very little to prove he is franchise quarterback material.

Additionally, when asked about Kirk Cousins, Blank said, “We’ll see what will happen going forward.”

Arthur Blank says “we’ll see what will happen going forward” in regard to QB Kirk Cousins. #Falcons pic.twitter.com/ef6EH9vBh7

— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) January 8, 2026

Blank is not going to say it publicly right now, but I will. There is no chance Kirk Cousins is on the Falcons roster next season.

For starters, he is no longer a good quarterback and is approaching 40 years old. Beyond that, the Falcons essentially sealed his fate when they agreed to re-modify his contract earlier this week. The new deal will pay Cousins $67.9 million in guaranteed money if he is still on the roster on March 13, and there is not a team in the league that is going to commit to that. That alone virtually guarantees he will hit free agency.

In theory, the Falcons could bring Cousins back after releasing him, but it is hard to see how that would benefit either party. Atlanta should be solely focused on finding a quarterback that can lead the organization for the next decade, and Cousins will be looking for a situation where he is guaranteed to start, not one where he is competing with a player the owner has already labeled the franchise quarterback.

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Photo: Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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