Atlanta Falcons Fail To Explain Why They Didn’t Warn Kirk Cousins Of Shocking Michael Penix Pick

Kirk Cousins was not happy with the Atlanta Falcons’ decision to select Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft. At the very least, he was just as surprised as literally everybody else.

Nobody expected Penix to go that high, let alone to an organization that just signed a quarterback to a four-year, $180 million deal— with $100 million guaranteed.

The logic for the pick is simple. Kirk Cousins is coming off of a torn ACL at 35 years old and his contract has an “out” after two years. If things aren’t going well, Atlanta can pull the rip cord and hand the offense to the former Washington and Indiana signal-caller.

However, they did not draft a young project quarterback who can learn and develop behind Cousins. Penix is already 23 years old. He will be 28 when his predecessor’s full contract officially expires.

It was a shocking move!

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot tried to explain the thought process to the decision but it actually made things even more confusing. Especially when he doubled down on the idea that they drafted a backup quarterback with a top-10 pick and might have him sit for four or five (!!) years.

If you believe in a quarterback, you have to take him. And if he sits for four or five years, that’s a great problem to have because we’re doing so well at that position. So, it’s as simple as, if you see a guy you believe in at that position, you have to take him.

— Terry Fontenot

This move could end up being brilliant. We don’t know how things will play out.

In the current moment, it does not make a lot of sense on paper…

To make matters worse, Cousins was not informed of the pick until Atlanta was on the clock. He was not necessarily confused to see the front office draft a quarterback, but he was absolutely stunned to see them draft one so high.

Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris tried to explain why they did not inform Cousins earlier. They, once again, only made things worse. It was a total cop out.

Morris said that there is “never a right time to talk to a quarterback about those things,” even though the right time was definitely not while they were on the clock. He also tried to claim that Cousins “is a competitor,” as if that makes things any better, and said that it was a “sensitive time.”