Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) walks on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 42-21. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
The Kirk Cousins experiment has come to an end in Atlanta, at least for now, as the Falcons have announced they’re turning to their first-round draft pick in Michael Penix Jr. going forward. Cousins, 36 and coming off an Achilles tear a year ago, signed a 4-year $180 million deal with Atlanta and is in the first year of that deal. Now, after 15 weeks, Cousins has thrown 18 TD’s but registered 16 INT’s, 9 of which have come in the last five weeks. These numbers finally forcing the hand of head coach Raheem Morris and his staff who find themselves in the midst of a battle for the division with the Buccaneers.
Speculation might not be the right word to use for the feeling after the Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth-overall in the 2024 draft, there was more confusion than anything else, I mean, Atlanta had just given away the farm for Cousins only weeks before, why draft a QB? The speculation only came weeks after when many wondered if GM Terry Fontenot knew Cousins repaired right Achilles wasn’t as durable as the media was making it out to be.
In my personal opinion, I think there was more to the decision than drafting an insurance policy for Cousins. With the signing of Kirk, the Falcons rightly assumed he would have them in playoff contention. While they obviously expected more, they knew they probably wouldn’t be that high up in the draft again for some time. Drafting high isn’t exactly a goal of NFL franchises. There is also the fact that Penix led the Washington Huskies on an offensive tear to the National Championship months before, and was an incredibly sought after talent. And I genuinely think that if Terry Fontenot could build his dream quarterback, it would be Michael Penix Jr. (minus the knee injuries).
To try and break down the politics of the power-struggle between Terry Fontenot and Falcons Owner Arthur Blank would take me until Christmas and it would all be purely speculative, but it seems that Fontenot was not comfortable with the Cousins contract. Owners are billionaires so they naturally have a hint of greed in their repertoire, they want to win right away. On paper, Kirk Cousins gave the Falcons that opportunity. Successful General Managers are the polar opposite, rarely do they like pushing all their chips to the middle of the table because if it all comes crashing down, their desk gets cleaned out first. I speculate on this because after the Falcons shocked everyone with the draft of Penix, Fontenot and Blank had an animated conversation about what had just taken place, see for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q97YZIy_y8Q
For Penix, he has the opportunity to make Cousins an Atlanta-afterthought on Sunday when he gets to make his NFL debut against one of the worst NFL teams in the New York Giants. This is a great way to dip your toes in league waters, one that Penix can dominate and solidify himself as the best option for the Falcons. Not to disparage Kirk Cousins, but it should not be hard for Michael Penix to look like the better option, if he can limit turnovers he’s already in the bonus.
In terms of guys you want to have as your benched starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins is 1.1 on that list. Even if this decision kills him inside (which I am sure it does), Kirk will always be the ultimate team-guy, will support Penix and the coaches any way he can, and will provide mentorship as well. Don’t forget, 100 of that $180 million is fully guaranteed so Cousins still has a pretty sweet gig.
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