Former Alabama high school standout hoping for deep connection with Atlanta Falcons’ new QB

In his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, wide receiver Darnell Mooney said, he thought he “did pretty well with the deep routes” in 2024. And that aligns for 2025 with what the former Gadsden City High School star has seen from Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

The 2024 first-round QB started the final three games of his rookie season for Atlanta and has been moved ahead of Kirk Cousins on the Falcons’ 2025 depth chart.

“The deep ball,” Mooney said during Atlanta’s offseason program when asked to identify Penix’s strength. “He can throw the ball very, very far. He has a strong arm. He can get it out whenever he needs to. If he feels like he’s late, he won’t be late. He can get the ball there in time.”

Mooney and Penix have played together in two regular-season games. Mooney had five receptions for 82 yards in Penix’s first start – a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 22. A week later, Mooney had two receptions for 37 yards in a 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders.

Mooney missed Penix’s third start. He sat out a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in the season finale because of a shoulder injury.

The ailment likely caused Mooney to miss a milestone. He finished the 2024 season with 64 receptions for 992 yards and five touchdowns.

“I didn’t really come here for 1,000 yards,” Mooney said. “I came here to win. For anybody that’s creating that as a top tier for a receiver or something, that’s not what I came here to do. I came here to win games.”

Mooney had a 1,000-yard receiving season in 2021 after joining the Chicago Bears as a fifth-round draft pick from Tulane in 2020. Mooney had 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns in his second season and totaled 277 receptions for 3,585 yards and 16 touchdowns in his four years with Chicago.

“It’s safe to say that Moon re-introduced himself to the league a little bit last year,” Falcons wide-receivers coach Ike Hilliard said during Atlanta’s offseason program.

Mooney averaged 15.5 yards per reception in 2024. Only the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown and Tennessee Titans’ Calvin Ridley had as many receptions as Mooney and a better per-catch average last season.

Wide receiver Drake London led Atlanta last season with 100 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns – a 12.7-yard average per catch. The Falcons’ No. 3 wide receiver, Ray-Ray McCloud, averaged 11.1 yards on 62 receptions.

“We look at Mooney as, obviously, a yards-per-catch guy, a vertical threat, a veteran presence that can help, I think, with each guy in their role,” Hilliard said. “Considering he was a fifth-round draft pick and earned an opportunity to earn a second contract, he knows what it takes to be a pro, so we’re going to lean on him a lot more than we did last year and see where that goes.”

The Falcons return from their summer break on July 23, when players report for training camp. Atlanta starts its three-game preseason schedule against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 8. The Falcons’ regular-season slate kicks off with an NFC South game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7.