The Atlanta Falcons drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out of nowhere during the 2024 NFL Draft has turned into one of the most surprising sports stories of the year.
However, it sounds like Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot took a tough lesson he learned from his time in New Orleans into account when making the pick about a month after signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a major deal.
Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Breer appeared on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to give some context into the Penix pick for Atlanta, one reportedly fueled in part by Fontenot’s refusal to let a potentially generational talent pass him by.
Breer talked about Fontenot’s days in New Orleans with the Saints and how that team missing out on none other than Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft has stuck with the Falcons general manager.
"Terry Fontenot was with the Saints in 2017 when they wanted Patrick Mahomes..
They thought they missed on him because word got out that they wanted him..
They weren't telling anybody that they were interested in Michael Penix" ~ @AlbertBreer #PMSLive https://t.co/Sjqc26RjuA pic.twitter.com/FFeVhz1RJg
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 7, 2024
The Saints missing out on Mahomes is one of the great “What if?” NFL moments of the last 10 years that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. Clearly, that situation weighed on Fontenot when addressing quarterback for the Falcons this offseason.
If the Falcons are really that high on Penix’s potential, then it makes sense for them to just do what they had to do to get him in the building, even with Cousins already on the roster. The optics might be strange, and Penix won’t be able to help right away with Cousins around.
However, NFL draft conviction in great quarterbacks is usually what wins teams championships, and the Falcons clearly felt this was all worth it to just get a chance to work with Penix and make him the future of the franchise.
We’ll see in a few years if their lofty bet paid off and if Fontenot learned the right lesson from the Saints missing out on Mahomes.
