Should Michael Penix Jr. be a hit for the Atlanta Falcons, the last several years of quarterbacking mismanagement will have been worth it. Atlanta had its quarterback room solved from 2008 to 2021, thanks to the hall-of-fame presence of Matt Ryan. Where you land matters, and Ryan made the most of it going to dysfunctional Atlanta. The man belongs in Canton and I will fight anyone who disagrees.
Why am I so vehemently behind that notion? Well, have you ever seen the likes of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke play quarterback for your favorite NFL team? Kirk Cousins had his moments last year, but he turned into a pumpkin after Halloween. Penix eventually took over, but he is not yet a sure thing under center. In the meantime, what a fall from grace it has been for Ridder.
The former third-round pick out of Cincinnati in the 2022 NFL Draft had the potential to be the next Ryan Tannehill. That is what former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith hoped he would be. After two frustrating seasons with the team, Ridder was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for Rondale Moore. Neither of them played a game for the team they were dealt to. Ridder's fall from grace got worse.
While he started games last year for the Las Vegas Raiders, he is about to be out of football already.
Desmond Ridder is on the precipice of being out of the NFL entirely
Ridder did go up against his former team in a primetime game nobody outside of Atlanta or Las Vegas watched last December. It was Cousins' final start for the Falcons. This was a game that set NFL offense back a decade, much like how the Iowa Hawkeyes set football back millennia entirely on their own with every passing week. Ridder looked even worse than an increasingly pitiful Cousins.
With Ridder back on the street, he nearly agreed to be a quarterback for the Denver Broncos at their rookie minicamp. Since it is Bo Nix's team going forward, he ended up backing out. Broncos head coach Sean Payton seems to think that Ridder may head for retirement. With the way things are going for him, Ridder might be out of the league completely before the "end" of his rookie contract.
Look. I wish it would have gone better for Ridder here in Atlanta. I was constantly pulling for the guy. He was a revelation in helping carry Luke Fickell's 2021 Bearcats into the College Football Playoff. He always had the wheels and did throw the football with touch. What ruined him was poor decision-making, compounded by one offensive coach after another who had no idea what he was even doing.
I hope it is not the end for Ridder as a professional quarterback, but the NFL is short for Not For Long.