Michael Penix Jr. told reporters that Fernando Mendoza has a “great guy” in Kirk Cousins as a mentor, a comment that lands with Falcons fans still smarting from the way Penix’s own time in Atlanta unfolded and from Cousins’ short run as the Falcons’ starter.
When Michael Penix Jr. stepped in front of microphones at Atlanta Falcons OTA’s earlier this week, he didn’t dodge the obvious question. Asked what Fernando Mendoza is getting out of having Kirk Cousins as his mentor, Penix’s answer came quickly—and it was full of respect.
“[Mendoza is] going to get a great guy,” Penix said. “Before the football player. you look at Kirk as a man. as a husband. as a father. he’s always been great and the way that he does anything is how he does everything. So. it’s like the person that he was for me. just helping me make sure I was locked in each and every day. make sure I understood some of the reads and some of the things that you would get in the league.”.
For Falcons fans uneasy about what they saw as the front office blindsiding Penix. the statement reads like a cleanup job—only it’s coming from the person who lived through the transition. And Penix’s framing is telling: he describes Cousins as a steady professional in more than football terms. even as his own experience with Atlanta left lingering bitterness.
The tension behind Penix’s praise is hard to ignore. Falcons fans point to how Cousins didn’t stay long as the team’s starter. failing to last even a full season after signing a four-year. $180 million deal with the Falcons in the spring of 2024. In that window, the expectation was that Cousins would lead for a long stretch—an expectation Penix’s arrival complicated.
Penix’s path diverged once he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. The shift matters because Penix is now in a room where the Raiders have already built momentum between their quarterbacks. The two signal-callers in Las Vegas have “already built a strong rapport. ” and with Fernando Mendoza slated as the reigning 2026 No. 1 pick, Penix’s advice lands in a very specific place: the mentoring he expects Mendoza to receive.
At the heart of Penix’s comment is the idea that mentorship—done right—can smooth over the rough edges of learning a league. Penix tied Cousins’ value to the small. daily mechanics of professional play: staying “locked in” each day. understanding “some of the reads. ” and grasping what a quarterback will face when the NFL speed and complexity hit.
There’s also a lived-in connection that makes Penix’s perspective feel less like a talking point and more like something personal. Because of their overlapping time in the Pac-12. Penix got to know Mendoza “pretty well over time.” That familiarity is why Penix could say he’s effectively watching Mendoza’s situation close up. not from a distance.
Cousins. meanwhile. is walking into his own second act in Las Vegas with an arrangement that looks like the kind of patience Penix didn’t always feel in Atlanta. The plan is for Cousins to serve as a bridge while Klint Kubiak decides when Mendoza is ready. Penix is explicit that the expectation is Cousins will start the first few games of 2026 until Kubiak makes that call. The pitch to fans is that Cousins’ job isn’t just to play—it’s to mentor the eventual successor. with a strong supporting cast in Las Vegas.
Penix also pointed to personality fit, describing both Cousins and Mendoza as “nerdy,” “kind of awkward,” and “high-IQ passers.” In his telling, that shared temperament is exactly why the mentorship should work—because it’s not just about knowledge, it’s about how the conversations happen.
For some Falcons supporters, the unease isn’t about whether Cousins can help Mendoza. It’s about what Penix’s tone implies for the past. Penix appears to be drawing a clean line between football respect and old wounds. saying the Falcons situation is the kind of split that has left “everything worked out for everyone. ” even if “the wound has yet to heal” for fans who “will never forgive Cousins.”.
The day-to-day timing underscores why those feelings are still raw. Cousins signed in spring 2024 expecting to start. then saw his time as the starter end quickly—while Penix’s own chances in Atlanta were tangled in the perception that he was blindsided by the front office. In the new version of his career. Penix is betting that mentorship and competition are more workable when roles are clearer.
As he moves on from Atlanta, Penix’s focus also includes his own return story. The text of the remarks points to Tua Tagovailoa as the right mentor or competition fit in Atlanta—paired with a belief that Tua can help Penix’s career “into second gear” as he nears a return from an ACL tear.
In Las Vegas. though. Penix’s message is plain: Mendoza will be learning from someone Penix still credits as a steady. complete presence—someone who. in Penix’s words. helped him understand what you need to know “each and every day.” For Falcons fans. that clarity comes with a sting. because it arrives from the one person whose own road to the league didn’t feel as smooth.
Michael Penix Jr. Fernando Mendoza Kirk Cousins Atlanta Falcons Las Vegas Raiders mentoring OTA 2026 NFL Draft Klint Kubiak Raheem Morris Zac Robinson