I am sure Michael Penix Jr. is not going to do anything that could jeopardize his NFL career. However, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was dancing on TikTok less than one month after he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Is that a good sign or a bad sign?!
There are two sides to this discussion. Some NFL fans see his limited mobility as a step in the right direction— pun intended. Others question whether he should be risking further injury.
Michael Penix Jr. is one month removed from ACL surgery.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft made three starts for the Falcons at the end of last season. He took over as the full-time starting quarterback in 2025.
Penix went 3-6 to begin his sophomore campaign before a left knee injury ended his season early in the third quarter of a Week 11 game against the Panthers. Atlanta placed him on injury reserve on Nov. 17. It announced that he will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL just two days later.
Penix went under the knife on the 25th of November. His surgery was reportedly performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, who repaired Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Cam Akers’ ACL injuries.
The timeline for recovery is expected to take anywhere between nine and 12 months, assuming all things go according to plan.
Michael Penix Jr. returned to the team facility prior to Christmas to begin the rehabilitation process. That is a great sign!
Should he be dancing on TikTok?
Although the 25-year-old is back in the building, he spent his Christmas holiday with his family at home. The Penix family posted the following video to TikTok:
I find it hard to believe that Michael Penix Jr. would be dancing if he was not able to do so. However, a large number of Falcons fans were not thrilled to see their franchise quarterback risking another tear for clout on the internet. Did he not learn from Deshaun Watson?!
The Cleveland Browns quarterback re-tore his Achilles last January just a few weeks after he posted a video dancing with his girlfriend while on vacation at Christmas. Not only did it risk his $92 million contract because of an injury clause, it was poor optics.
Penix put himself in a similar position. Even if it was all in good fun, and nothing out of the ordinary in terms of his recovery, the video sets him up for scrutiny. And should things go wrong in recovery over the next few weeks, there would be a lot of questions. It is probably better to just lay low.