NFL players, they’re just like us.
When Michael Penix Jr. found out Tuesday night that he was named the starting quarterback for the Falcons against the Giants on Sunday, the rookie was shopping at a Costco with his girlfriend.
In fact, Penix, 24, was in line getting a hot dog when he received the news of his big promotion.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is the team’s new starter.AP
“Whenever I got the call, I wasn’t hungry no more,” Penix told reporters Wednesday at the team’s practice facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, less than 24 hours after the team said it was benching veteran Kirk Cousins in what head coach Raheem Morris called a “football decision.”
“I got the call, and they told me I was going to be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season,” Penix added. “As you can imagine it was some nerves, it was excitement, but I’m just super blessed to be in this position. Super blessed to be on this team for the opportunity. Like I always say, my family they always say, just trust in god and trust in the process and go about each and every day with that trust and belief that whenever it’s your time, it’s your time.
Michael Penix found out he was the Falcons’ starter while at Costco.Christopher Sadowski
“And they called last night and they said it’s your time.”
The decision was made one day after Cousins threw for just 112 yards in the Falcons’ win over the Raiders on Monday night.
That mediocre outing came amid a five-game stretch in which Cousins has thrown for one touchdown against nine interceptions.
The Falcons had created a quarterback controversy before the season even started when they drafted Penix with the eighth overall pick in April after they had already inked Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal during the offseason.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas.AP
To make the situation eleven more juicy, Penix’s first career start will come against a Giants team that opted to pass over him with the sixth overall pick.
They instead took wide receiver Malik Nabers.
