Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. smiled and dragged his right thumb across his chin, looking two chairs to his right before placing both of his hands around a microphone.
Penix, who appeared on a Barstool Sports show before the Super Bowl, watched as former title-winning head coach Jon Gruden looked at veteran quarterback Jameis Winston. Gruden was one chair to Penix's right, and Winston was another chair down.
Gruden, citing Winston's current side job as a Fox Sports correspondent, asked Winston to introduce Penix.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Winston started, "I'm introducing you to a young man who has endured throughout the course of his collegiate career, high school career. I had the honor of working with him in Tampa, Florida."
What followed -- the praise and certainty with which he said it -- raised eyebrows.
"I knew when I first laid eyes on him that he was going to be a premier, NFL, Super Bowl-winning quarterback," Winston said. "Without further ado, the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons -- and future Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP -- Michael Penix."
Sporting a black hoodie with sponsor "Sharpie" and a gray Adidas beanie, Penix sported a wide smile. He's a native of Tampa, where Gruden, now working at Barstool, won his Super Bowl in 2002.
Atlanta hasn't won a Super Bowl in franchise history, and it has missed the playoffs each of the past seven seasons. Quarterback Matt Ryan, who won the award in 2016, is the only Falcon to be named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
Penix, the Falcons' first-round pick in 2024, was Atlanta's backup for the first 14 games of his rookie season before taking over for the final three weeks. He completed 58% of his passes for 737 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris spoke highly of Penix at season's end, dubbing him the team's franchise quarterback moving forward and a player capable of dominating for as long as Atlanta lets him.
Winston, meanwhile, is a free agent, and with the Falcons expected to part ways with former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins this spring, they are likely to pursue a veteran backup to accompany Penix throughout next season.
The 31-year-old Winston said he wants to take a team to the promised land, which implies he'd like to start, but perhaps he'd be willing to watch Penix fulfill his lofty stated expectations.
It's an idea Winston has already said he wouldn't mind.
"I'm not trying to be a backup," Winston said, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter during Super Bowl week. "But I'll go and serve my brother."
