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When news broke that the Atlanta Falcons planned to bench veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins just months after signing him to a nine-figure contract in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., it took the NFL world by storm.
Now granted, despite his pedigree, Cousins has been downright bad for the Falcons as of late, throwing nine interceptions over the past five games versus just one passing touchdown and has been without question the reason for the Falcons collapse mere weeks after he looked like the team's saving grace.
Addressing the media for the first time since his benching, Cousins explained what went wrong in Atlanta and why he was told he was being demoted in favor of an unproven left-handed rookie out of the PAC-12.
“It's pro football, and there's a standard that I have for myself and the organization has for me, and I wasn't playing up to that standard,” Cousins said via Tori McElhaney.
Asked about his recent turnover issues and if they are related to his lingering issues from last season, Cousins said no, noting that it all come down to one thing: decision-making.
“It's probably decision-making more than anything,” Cousins told reporters.
Now, when the Falcons decided to draft Penix eighth overall in the 2024 NFL draft, many fans thought GM Terry Fontenot was crazy. Why, fans wondered, would Atlanta invest a first-round pick in a second-tier quarterback when they just signed a top-15 quarterback and had a desperate need for ready-made contributors as they made a push for the playoffs?
Considering the Falcons' roster was already the best in the NFC South, adding a player like Jared Verse or Quinyon Mitchell, many fans surmised, would have improved their chances at making a run and maybe even get the team to the Super Bowl for the first time this decade.
While only time will tell if this decision was ultimately the correct one, it's clear Cousins isn't the guy moving forward, and the Falcons now have a chance to see if Penix, a College Football Playoffs participant from earlier this calendar year, can win out down the stretch and go on a Brock Purdy-style playoff run.
Considering how often Cousins has been linked to Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers' current status as the worst team in the NFC West, there's some irony in there somewhere.
