General manager Terry Fontenot put former Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. into a unique situation after the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in last month’s NFL draft. The team made a significant investment in veteran Kirk Cousins, signing him to a four-year, $180 million deal before using a top 10 pick on the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
Cousins was not made aware of the pick before it happened and although the two have connected, many NFL fans still consider the Penix pick a bad decision considering the 35-year-old Cousins’ contract.
No matter his role in his first season, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Penix appears to be taking it in stride.
“[Penix] said, ‘My goal is just to be an unselfish teammate. I’m not worried about when I’m playing, if I maximize my potential. All that stuff will get worked out,'” Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. “This is a player who embraces the spotlight. He said, ‘I know it’s going to be on me from the beginning. I’m part of the one percent who is in the NFL. I’m going to produce when my time is up.'”
Penix has started to fans over on social media through the first few days of rookie minicamp thanks to his impressive arm talent, as the Falcons have posted multiple clips of him making throws Washington fans are all too familiar with. [lawrence-related id=3373]