Michael Penix Jr. is now officially the man in Atlanta. Kirk Cousins is the backup, and entering his second season, Penix is the starting quarterback for the Falcons. There's a lot of reason to believe in Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in 2024.

The Atlanta Falcons are less than a week away from kicking off training camp for the 2025 NFL season. After spending last year as the backup to Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. enters the season as the team's starting quarterback. The former first-round pick appeared in five games (three starts) as a rookie.

The Atlanta Falcons haven't reached the playoffs since 2017 -- a seven-year skid that ranks among the NFL's longest, trailing only the New York Jets (14 years). But with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. taking the reins in 2025, some in Atlanta aren't just thinking postseason -- they're thinking Super Bowl.