Michael Penix Jr.’s Heartwarming Gesture in College Left Fernando Mendoza a Fan: “I’m Really Rooting For This Guy”

The Atlanta Falcons are going to juggle between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa as their quarterback options as new head coach Kevin Stefanski starts his second head coaching job, hoping that he will last longer than his previous job.

Despite Tagovailoa’s injuries and countless errors from the past season, the Falcons decided to sign him, knowing he would be a cheaper and younger alternative to Kirk Cousins.

On the other hand, Penix Jr. has not necessarily lit up the scoreboard, which is why the Falcons chose to bring in younger competition in the form of Tagovailoa.

Cousins was too old and error-prone for him to be a real challenge. But the former Dolphins QB’s presence could push the Washington Huskies alum to get a grip on his position.

One aspect the Falcons will not have trouble with is Penix Jr.’s character as this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza explained while on The Leap podcast.

My freshman year, I obviously knew who he was… I went up to him afterward… The next year, I go up to him, and he goes, ‘Oh, what up? You’re the kid from Miami, right?’… This guy’s a high-string caliber player, and I’m a third-string quarterback at Cal. This guy remembered who I was… That was really cool… And seeing that game, seeing the level of mastery that he had on the field, I’m just really rooting for this guy.

Fernando Mendoza said

This is awesome: Raiders rookie QB Fernando Mendoza talks about meeting Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. for the first time when he was a third-string freshman at Cal.

One year later, Michael still remembered him.

It's hard not to root for Penix 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/jjyLb71zLO

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 12, 2026

This was the Las Vegas Raiders’ rookie, revealing how that heartwarming gesture made him admire the then-Washington star quarterback. It is not usual for top-tier prospects to remember third-stringers. That speaks a lot about Michael Penix Jr.’s character.

Michael Penix Jr. is back training less than six months after ACL tear

Now that his character gets additional brownie points, what the Atlanta Falcons will be hoping is that Michael Penix Jr. can mix it with competitiveness in the upcoming season.

A combined 4-8 record in 12 starts is not unnatural for rookie QBs in tough situations. But that is over two years, as either he has been benched in favor of Kirk Cousins or he has missed games.

The 26-year-old exited their Week 11 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers and has since been recovering after partially tearing his ACL.

A partial tear does not take as long to recover as a completely torn ACL. Even then, it was surprising to see the signal caller back on the practice field slinging it to Drake London, this year’s rookies, and practice squad players.

Back on road@themikepenix x @DrakeLondon_ pic.twitter.com/EB7skOPRJd

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 12, 2026

With Tua Tagovailoa not yet ready to battle it out with his new teammates, this early return could give Michael Penix Jr. the jump-start he needs in the battle for the starting quarterback position.

Michael Penix Jr. secures his personal life

Even though Penix Jr. managed to get his first steps in place towards his goal of winning the QB1 job, head coach Kevin Stefanski will probably wait until he makes his decision.

The head coach has extensive experience handling quarterback battles from his time with the Cleveland Browns, which means this battle could continue deep into July.

Knowing that is a possibility will lead both the third-year QB and his new teammate to prove to Stefanski that they are capable of leading the offense.

But what he does not need to prove is his loyalty to his longtime girlfriend, Olivia Carter. The 2023 Maxwell Award winner took the next step and tied the knot to officially help her change her last name to Penix.

Michael Penix Jr. marries fiancee Olivia Carter at Georgia resort ahead of third Falcons season https://t.co/SeCJMWUuga pic.twitter.com/h4PoPZBr3w

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 8, 2026

They exchanged vows at the Chateau Elan, a winery and destination resort in Braselton, Georgia. Again, Michael Penix Jr.’s character shone through as the New York Post reported that he was wiping away tears at the altar. No wonder Fernando Mendoza is a fan.

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