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New York Times
5 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. has stepped up; now he's working on speaking up
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The only measuring stick Darnell Mooney can think of to illustrate Michael Penix Jr.'s progress in becoming a more vocal leader is that this year Penix will sometimes tell Mooney his music stinks. Mooney, the Falcons' sixth-year wide receiver, likes a wide range of genres. Penix, the team's second-year quarterback, is hip-hop only. Advertisement 'He's being a little more vocal with that,' Mooney said, 'but he's still a quiet guy.' So quiet that Penix still keeps his thoughts on the subject mostly to himself. 'I don't refuse to listen to it,' the quarterback said. 'It's a little different than mine. I'll listen to it, but in the back of my head, I'll be like, 'Turn it off.'' Penix was thrust into a leadership position in Atlanta in Week 16 last season when he replaced veteran Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback and then started the final three games. This offseason, the Falcons have been emphatic that Penix is their quarterback of the future, and the 25-year-old is trying to get more comfortable with all that comes with his new role, which requires more talking. Still, the University of Washington product is so serene that it was the first thing veteran wide receiver Jamal Agnew learned when he joined the team as a free agent in March. 'They always joke around like, 'Mike don't talk much,'' Agnew said. 'I'm starting to realize that.' Quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams recently relayed Penix's emotional outburst last season on the day he learned he was being elevated to the starting job, fulfilling a dream he had had for most of his life. 'We had some taco trucks outside, and we just walked and went and got a taco,' Williams said. 'He ate one and asked if I wanted the other one. I'm like, 'No, I'm good.'' No, 'Yipee!' No, 'How about that!' No, 'Woo-hoo!' Just get a taco and get back to work. The Falcons coaches don't care that their quarterback is not the talkative type. In fact, they have come to view his preternatural calm as a strength and maybe even a superpower. 'Everyone has their own leadership style,' passing game coordinator T.J. Yates said. 'He's going to be very different from Kirk. He's not a guy that is going to be super out loud. He leads a lot by example, by how hard he works. He's never going to be a big rah-rah guy, it's not his personality.' Advertisement Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Penix has 'a real unique kind of wide receiver vibe to him when he's talking to the guys.' 'He's finding his voice,' Morris said. 'He leads a little bit differently, probably than a lot of people. We've got to find a healthy rhythm in how you coach it up and how you really encourage it. A lot of times you want people to talk, but you don't give them an opportunity to. The more opportunities you give them, the better he'll get at it, and that's what I'm looking forward to doing.' Penix is in the first phase of what Morris envisions as a three-step evaluation of his leadership process. 'When you take over that quarterback spot, there's a certain humility about playing the position, and then it becomes a certain confidence about playing the position. It eventually turns into a little bit of almost an arrogance about playing the position where it becomes non-negotiable,' the coach said. 'We're not there yet. I don't think we will be for a little bit.' Still, Morris said he believes Penix is beginning to gain the confidence special quarterbacks possess. 'I've been fortunate enough to be around a few of them in the last two in Matt Ryan and obviously (Matthew) Stafford out in L.A.,' Morris said. 'When they had that kind of control and you felt that kind of arrogance, you felt those kind of guys that could just go out there and win any football game. You felt like you couldn't be beat. It was really just coming off of those guys in those moments. You can feel it at times (with Penix), even last year, but those things are coming.' Them boys up to something 🔥@themikepenix x @DrakeLondon_ — Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 29, 2025 Penix had a conversation this offseason with Ryan, who was not known for his verbal reserve. 'He talked to me about his time and how he got to where he ended up, his building blocks,' Penix said. 'That was big time.' Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews called Penix 'very reserved' and acknowledged that he wondered last season how Penix would handle the starting job. Advertisement 'But right when he got in the huddle, it was like, 'This guy knows what he's doing,'' Matthews said. 'Very quiet guy off the field, but a great dude. Someone you want to do well for.' Penix has focused this season on getting to know more of his teammates and more about them. Quietly, of course. 'I feel like I've done a lot better connecting with everybody around the team, not just offensive guys but defensive guys as well,' he said. 'Whether that's doing things around the facility, eating lunch, or going out and playing golf. I like to get to know my teammates. I don't think you can lead anybody if you don't know them. You have to build relationships. I want to get to know those guys to know who can take certain leadership styles, if it's verbal right there in the moment or if it's pulling you to the side. Hanging out with them more, that's it.' Mooney has appreciated the effort. 'I think he's been doing well owning that he's the guy and that he's going to be the guy,' he said. 'He's done a good job of showing up every day. Just continue to show up.'
Reuters
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Falcons sign WR Jamal Agnew to 1-year deal
March 21 - The Atlanta Falcons signed wide receiver and return specialist Jamal Agnew on Thursday. It is a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Agnew spent the 2024 season on the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad while recovering from a leg injury. The wideout was a fifth-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2017 and quickly made a name for himself as a return man. In his rookie campaign, he led the NFL in punt return yards (447), punt return touchdowns (two), and yards per punt return (15.4). As a result, he was named a first-team All-Pro. Agnew, 29, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, where he received more opportunities on offense. In three seasons with the franchise, Agnew totaled 61 receptions for 641 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he saw time in the backfield with 23 carries for 195 yards and a score. The versatile playmaker also continued making an impact in the return game. In 2022, Agnew earned his first Pro Bowl nod after recording 205 punt return yards and 547 kick return yards. Agnew is coming off a major injury sustained in Week 17 of the 2023 season, but he has the potential to jolt the Falcons' return game. Last season, Atlanta ranked 20th in yards per kick return (26.4) and 17th in yards per punt return (9.5).
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Jacksonville Jaguars WR and Pro Bowl return man signs with Atlanta Falcons
Former Jacksonville Jaguars WR and Pro Bowl return man signs with Atlanta Falcons Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and return man Jamal Agnew has a new home for the 2025 season. Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and return man Jamal Agnew has a new home for the 2025 season. According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Agnew is signing a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million with the Atlanta Falcons. Garafolo added that Agnew spent the 2024 season on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad as he recovered from a broken leg suffered late in the 2023 season. Agnew was a member of the Jaguars for three seasons from 2021 through 2023. During that span, he appeared in 25 games on offense and caught 47 passes for 416 yards with four touchdowns. As a returner, Agnew averaged 8.5 yards per return on his 50 punt attempts over those three seasons and 25.2 yards per kick return on his 58 attempts there, which included a touchdown. Agnew suffered that lower leg injury in Week 17 of the Jaguars' 2023 season against the Carolina Panthers. Before joining the Jaguars, Agnew was a fifth-round pick by Detroit in the 2017 NFL draft, where he also played defensive back early in his career. Agnew was an All-Pro returner with the Lions in 2017 and a Pro Bowl returner with the Jaguars in 2022.
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Falcons sign Pro Bowl kick returner with ties to special teams coach
Falcons sign Pro Bowl kick returner with ties to special teams coach Jamal Agnew to reunite with Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams in Atlanta According to a report from NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms with veteran kick returner/wide receiver Jamal Agnew on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The 29-year-old played for Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams when the two were in Detroit. Agnew was drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and spent his first three seasons playing defensive back. During Angew's final year in Detroit, the team moved him to wide receiver. Over seven NFL seasons, Agnew has recorded 77 catches for 746 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He has returned 124 punts for 1,280 yards and four touchdowns, and 122 kickoffs for 3,112 yards and two touchdowns.
