ATLANTA — In his end-of-season news conference Thursday, Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank answered questions on a plethora of topics.
Along with detailing the newly implemented president of football role and explaining the organization's recent changes, Blank discussed the state of the quarterback position in Atlanta.
To catch up: The Falcons turned to Kirk Cousins to finish out the 2025 season after Michael Penix Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury. Penix underwent surgery in November. Blank provided a positive progress report.
"The surgeon felt 1,000% secure in the medical procedure they went through, and they really felt his knee was going to be even better than it was before," Blank said. "He's on a successful rehab program. He's back in Atlanta. He's committed mentally, physically, he feels good."
When asked to clarify whether or not Penix is someone he considers to be the long-term answer at the quarterback position in Atlanta, Blank said: "I do think Michael is a franchise quarterback."
The Falcons also have a decision to make regarding Cousins. It was recently reported that Cousins and the Falcons came to an agreement to restructure his contract.
In essence, the modified contract does not impact any guaranteed money already owed to Cousins. His 2026 base salary was reduced from $35 million to $2.1 million. His 2027 compensation then gained that $32.9-million difference, creating a $67.9 million vesting guarantee for the 2027 season that would lock in on March 13, the third day of the 2026 NFL league year.
When speaking specifically on Cousins and his future in Atlanta, Blank was non-committal.
"Kirk, we'll see what will happen with him going forward," Blank said.
He went on to add that he does hold respect for Cousins, particularly because of the way he has handled the last two seasons with the Falcons professionally.
"(Cousins) has really been a great leader for us, I would say, over the last couple of years," Blank said. "Both that he was playing in a support role to Michael last year and then this year, support role to Michael and stepping up and playing at a very competitive level for us as well."
As for how things will progress in Atlanta from this point forth, the Falcons have leadership decisions to make before truly landing on a quarterback plan. They are well in the weeds of president of football interviews, with Blank confirming a decision on that position will be coming soon so as to have an individual in place to lead the search and interviews for the organization's next head coach and general manager.
Once those three individuals are in place, decisions about the quarterback position should be at the very top of their list of things to do during the 2026 offseason.
