Late last month, the Atlanta Falcons sent shockwaves throughout the NFL landscape when it was revealed that they would be selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out of the University of Washington with the number eight overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Making the decision confusing for some was the fact that the Falcons had recently signed quarterback Kirk Cousins previously of the Minnesota Vikings to a multi-year contract worth well north of $100 million earlier in the offseason, making it unclear what exactly Terry Fontenot and company were envisioning to be the future of the quarterback position in Atlanta with the selection of Penix.
Of course, many were wondering what Kirk Cousins himself thought about the move, and that question was at least somewhat answered during a recent press conference from the star, who spoke about his early impressions of Michael Penix Jr. in the brief time they've gotten to know one another.
“Mike’s been great. There’s always going to be competition in this league and you have to go out and earn it. I’m going to control what I can control and I understand there’s a lot you can’t control,” said Cousins, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter.
Head coach Raheem Morris also spoke on Cousins and seemed to have every confidence that he will be “the guy” for the Falcons moving forward.
“We’re really excited on where he’s at and his progress (physically) and in his mental capacity to hold the offense and what he’s able to do for the guys,” said Morris, per Kendall.
A confusing decision
By signing Cousins and then drafting Penix, the Falcons essentially ensured that their plans are going to backfire in one form or another. If Cousins plays well and stays healthy, then Penix will be 27 years old by the time he can first have the opportunity to take the field in Atlanta, which is far from an ideal age in the modern NFL to just be starting out.
If the Cousins experiment backfires and Penix is thrown into the lineup earlier than anticipated, then the team will have wasted over $100 million.
Either way, the Falcons essentially played themselves, at least in the eyes of critics of the decision who have pointed out its logical shortcomings.
Many have wondered how healthy Cousins is right now coming off of an Achilles tear.
“Today I’ve felt the best I can. It’s one day at a time. … Everything is trending in the right direction,” said Cousins, per Terrin Waack of the Falcons on X.
This in addition to Morris' comments about Cousins' health should give Falcons fans at least some optimism that the high profile free agent signing will work out, even if it comes at the expense of the player they just spent a coveted draft pick on.
In any case, the Falcons now have just a few short months before the season gets underway in September. They will find out their full schedule when it's announced on Wednesday evening.
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