The Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for their most exciting regular season since the team went to the Super Bowl. Second-year QB Michael Penix Jr. is already approaching the game with a different mindset heading into the season.
“I don't really focus on it anymore," Penix said this week of his injury-filled past. "I talked about it before, my past. 2021 was a tough season for me because I was thinking about injuries. I wasn't able to play at a high level because that's where my mind was. I wasn't able to play at the level that I wanted to,” Penix told the media. “Now it's like, I've been injured four times. I just pray, trusting my faith and trust that God's going to protect me. I go out there and have fun because at any moment it could be my last play. That's for anybody. This is the game that we play. We know it comes with a lot, but we all love it. That's why we do it each and every day, and that's what I'm going to continue to do each and every day."
On Monday, the Falcons decided to release WR DJ Chark, who just didn’t pan out during the preseason.
“Chark has struggled with injuries, including a hip injury that cost him most of his 2024 campaign with the Chargers. This move will allow Chark to sign with another team and hopefully make a 53-man roster come the August 26th deadline,” SI’s Garrett Chapman wrote.
The Falcons’ decision to cut Chark could also mean that he may retire soon. After all, he was already considering it before joining the team.
“After seven years in the NFL, wide receiver DJ Chark debated hanging up his cleats this offseason. The 28-year-old considered his injuries – three stints on injured reserve in the past four seasons. He thought about his family – a wife with two children under the age of 4,” Falcons reporter Terrin Waack wrote.
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Chark showed so much potential after his breakout season, but injuries just got the best of him. Now, after already contemplating retirement once, he could go ahead and take that path.