Michael Penix Jr. is still in the early stages of his NFL career.
The Atlanta Falcons' lefty QB got a few starts at the end of last season, and now he's heading into the 2025 campaign as the unquestioned starting quarterback.
It might be wise to use a little bit of caution when setting expectations for him, right?
Well, Falcons owner Arthur Blank has other ideas.
Here's what Blank told reporters on Saturday:
"If we get a duplicate run out of (Penix) that we got out of Matt Ryan we’ll be incredibly happy."
Yeah, no kidding.
MORE: Bills' James Cook contract saga doesn't lessen his importance to Super Bowl aspirations
Ryan was the 2016 NFL MVP and probably should've won a Super Bowl if not for the most epic collapse in league history.
If Penix wins an MVP and gets to a Super Bowl and hangs around for a long time as a great team leader, of course the Falcons would be happy.
That's a long way to go, of course. First, Penix just has to prove he's a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. That'll come in large part by improving on some of the accuracy struggles he showed in his limited action a season ago.
Only then can dreams really begin of ending up a lot like the greatest QB in franchise history.
MORE NFL NEWS:
- Micah Parsons risks temporary retirement, frozen contract if he leaves training camp
- Buccaneers holding rookie out because he weighs too much
- Browns' 10-year NFL veteran retires days into training camp
- Raiders' 325-pound rookie is the scariest Wildcat quarterback ever
- Shedeur Sanders could 'realistically' end up in the CFL
- A toilet is helping Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf build chemistry