After his 2025 season was cut short by a knee injury, Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. is beginning his offseason recovery amid major changes to the franchise.

Penix recently spoke with EssentiallySports about his new partnership with Invisalign and shared his reaction to the changes made by the Falcons, namely the hiring of head coach Kevin Stefanski and former NFL MVP Matt Ryan as the team’s new president of football operations.

Do you want to tell us a little bit about the partnership with Invisalign?

“I just started this journey not too long ago, and it’s been great. I feel like for me and what went into my decision of linking with Invisalign and obviously getting my Invisalign is just the confidence, the confident side of it having a confident smile and being confident and not just the football aspect of it, but my smile, my everyday walking around and just all my interactions because I do sometimes get caught up in seeing other people’s teeth whenever they’re talking and interaction. So I want my teeth to look good, just in case other people are checking me out, and that aspect of it. But it just brings confidence in my everyday life, and it’s been an awesome journey so far.”

You’ve mentioned the confidence Invisalign gives you. How does prioritizing personal health routines like that translate to your mindset on and off the field?

“Just being consistent. And I feel like whenever I think about myself on the field and things that I want to do in a football aspect, it’s like, for me to be great, I have to be consistent. And for me to have something else to be consistent and to think about each and every day, just putting my Invisalign in, and just so that I can go out and be confident and go out and have a great day, have a great smile all the time. It’s something that I’ve definitely been locked into, and I’ve been enjoying.”

So I got a question from a young Falcons fan, right? His name’s Hawk. What was your favorite game that you’ve played so far, whether it’s college or in the NFL?

“My favorite game was playing against Oregon in our Pac-12 championship game. Obviously, it was always said that it’s hard to be a team twice in a year, and for us to be able to do that and win that game, it was a very fun experience.”

So your team has made some changes. You’ve got Kevin Stefanski coming in, and you’ve got Matt Ryan calling the shots. What do you think of those two guys coming into your organization?

“It’s awesome. I’ve built a relationship with Matt since I got here, and it’s been great. He’s been growing, and he’s been nothing but a great resource for me and somebody who I can look towards whenever I have any questions about the league and playing in this position, but it’s been great.

“And obviously, Coach Stefanski, I met him whenever he got here, and he seems like a great guy. I heard nothing but great things about him as a coach, and obviously, with Coach Tommy Reese calling the plays, I heard nothing but great things about him as well. So it’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait to continue to get to know those guys and go out there and play for them.”

When you watch Kirk Cousins prepare and operate, what little details have you picked up in your time in Atlanta so far?

“I feel like Kirk is a smart player. He always knows where his checkdowns are and how to get the ball out of his hands and get through a progression. So it’s definitely those things, knowing how to cancel out certain reads and get to your checkdown whenever it’s needed.”

What do you think is the biggest misconception fans have about you or your game?

“It don’t matter. I know what I can do on the field, and I’m going to show that if they feel like I didn’t show it yet, I still got time, and I will be coming this year. So I’m excited for the future.”

Do you have a welcome to the NFL moment?

“I hear other people’s stories, and like, it’s like these cool or like moments that they like, it’s like crazy moments. I don’t know yet. I don’t know yet.”

What’s the toughest defense you’ve faced so far?

“The toughest defense? I would say it’s different because it’s hard to say that because it’s different. Teams, like all defenses, are tough in their own different ways. You probably played against a team that’s really good against the run, a team that’s really good against the pass, but I feel like obviously for us, we had one game where we didn’t score any points, but I wouldn’t say that’s the toughest defense we played. I feel like the next time I played them, I felt confident going into that game, and I felt like I was delivering at a high level before I got injured. But I don’t know. I feel like it’s still yet to be seen.”

Is there one teammate who’s helped you the most early on? A mentor?

“I’ll say Jesse Bates. I was locker mates with him since I got in the league, and we always have conversations. He told me about things that he’s seeing, the things that he’s looking at, whether it’s my eyes or just knowing like a progression team versus a coverage team based on whichever way the quarterback is reading, and how I can kind of manipulate him and the defensive side of the ball whenever they’re playing. But also, I feel like he probably left some things out, so I wouldn’t know, but he’s been good to me.”

Is there a quarterback that you model your game after, whether or not they’re in the league right now or like in the past?

“Mike Vick was my favorite quarterback growing up. Teddy Bridgewater, he was my favorite whenever I was in high school, but I modeled my game after, but those are two guys that I did enjoy watching growing up.”

What does it mean to be a franchise quarterback in a city like Atlanta?

“Man, it’s awesome. It’s something that you dream about, and obviously in this city they, we need to win and in this city, they’re looking for wins and postseason and stuff like that, and that’s what we gotta, we gotta deliver it to them because this is a great fan base, a great city, and they deserve that, and I know that we will in the near future, so I’m excited for that.”

What’s the best advice that you’ve gotten since you’ve been in the NFL from anybody?

“Just stay true to yourself. Don’t listen to the outside noise. Don’t worry about what happened in the past. Stay true to yourself. Don’t try to be anybody else, and you don’t have to be a superhero to be great in this league. You just gotta go out there and do your job at a high level and find ways to help your team win, but you don’t have to be a superhero.”

If you could describe your mindset in one word, what would it be?

“Determined.”

What’s the best advice you got ahead of the NFL draft process?

“They’re always telling me that the first year is going to be a very long year, but just enjoy it. Just enjoy the process and just fall in love with it because it can get long, but it’s going to be better later, so I say just enjoy it. Enjoy your first year.”

How are you doing with your injury recovery? When do you think you’ll be back? Week 1?

“Yeah, for sure. I feel like I’m going to be back. I’m going to be back, ready to play. I feel like I’m ahead of schedule right now and we’re taking it one day at a time right now.”