The Atlanta Falcons selected their potential quarterback of the future in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, taking Washington standout Michael Penix Jr at eighth overall. It was an interesting pick considering the franchise just signed Kirk Cousins to a mammoth four-year, $180 million deal this offseason, with $100 million guaranteed.

Cousins is 35 though and he doesn't have that many years left. While Penix Jr won't love being a backup when he could've likely been QB1 elsewhere, he'll get to learn from a true veteran. After the Falcons drafted the southpaw, he revealed that Cousins did reach out.

Via Ari Meirov:

“Yes, he did reach out. We had a very good conversation. He reached out last night. I'm going to keep it between me and him right now, but it was definitely a good conversation. I’m super excited to work with him. He said he's the same with me.”

The Falcons stunned a lot of people with this pick. And according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, they called Cousins when they were on the clock and told him that Penix Jr was their selection, which reportedly surprised the QB because he believed it wouldn't help Atlanta improve in this upcoming season. Russini noted the Falcons took Penix Jr because they don't think a first-round pick will be in the cards in the coming years with Cousins running the offense, so the team wanted to take advantage of it now.

Another twist? Well, Penix Jr didn't even take a top-30 visit with the Falcons. No one, including the signal-caller himself, expected to end up in Atlanta.

Did the Falcons make the wrong pick?

To be brutally honest, Michael Penix Jr probably doesn't love that he was drafted by the Falcons. This is a guy who just threw for nearly 10,000 yards across the last two seasons and took Washington to the doorstep of a national championship this past season, ultimately losing to Jim Harbaugh's Michigan.

But, Penix Jr showed at the college level that he is talented, experienced, and a proven winner ready to contribute in the NFL right now. After all, he was literally in college for six years. Cousins has a right to be bothered by this pick. Not because it's necessarily competition for him after getting $100 million, but because they could've addressed another need: Defense.

Penix Jr will be 24 in his rookie campaign. What, is he going to sit around and back up Cousins for three years before getting his first chance in the league? It just doesn't add up. He isn't a developmental prospect. Penix Jr is prepared to be under center when Week 1 rolls around.

This is what Cousins' agent Mike McCartney told Mike Garofolo of The NFL Network about the pick, which as previously mentioned, caught everyone off guard:

“Yes, it was a big surprise,” Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, told NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo on Thursday night. “We had no idea this was coming. The truth is the whole league had no idea this was coming. We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in conversation.”

Cousins has his QB1 job. There's no doubt about that. But, Falcons fans will be wondering why the franchise targeted Penix Jr.

Baffling.