While Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins might’ve been shocked by the Michael Penix Jr. pick during last month’s 2024 NFL Draft, he’s doing the team a huge solid right now by saying all the right things in the media about the whole ordeal.
Outside of his amicable press conference this week, Cousins’ appearance on The Dan Patrick Show this week is probably the best encapsulation of that yet, as he showed support for his teammate while putting the situation in perspective to previous stops in his career at Michigan State and with the Washington Commanders.
“I would expect both of us to go on to have great careers up ahead,” Cousins told Patrick during his appearance. “You just don’t know how, that’s the thing. You don’t know how it’s going to play out.”
Kirk Cousins compares the #Falcons taking Penix to his past being with Nick Foles at Michigan State and RGIII in DC.
"I would expect both of us to go on to have great careers up ahead. You just don't know how, that's the thing. You don't know how it's going to play out." pic.twitter.com/cPlLEqYoCw
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 16, 2024
Cousins also talked on ESPN about how he views the quarterback room as a “working force where everybody is pulling together, trying to help one another succeed.”
"We are all working together to help our team win football games."
Kirk Cousins on how he will lead with Michael Penix Jr. as his backup. pic.twitter.com/MaCFOswVH8
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 16, 2024
While Cousins might not come out and air our all of his emotions about the Penix selection, it’s more than fair if he’s internally a bit bummed that his future in Atlanta might not be exactly what he expected.
Best made plans in the NFL often go to the wayside, and it’s not as likely now that Cousins retires with the Falcons unless he does so before Penix takes the field. That’s the tough reality of being a professional athlete, and you can’t expect Cousins to be elated with his new team drafting his eventual replacement right out of the gate instead of getting an instant-impact player at a different position.
However, it’s also hard to argue the Falcons did anything “wrong” about making sure a succession plan is ready for a quarterback nearing 36 who is coming off a torn Achilles, particularly given how things went after Matt Ryan. Atlanta can’t afford to mess any of this up.
Cousins has been one of the great beneficiaries of lucrative contracts in his NFL career, and the Falcons guaranteed him $100 million to be their quarterback for the next couple of seasons at least. Of any quarterback in the NFL, Cousins understands the business realities of the sport as well as anyone.
While the Falcons can’t expect Cousins to break out the party balloons when talking about the awkward dynamics of his start in Atlanta, they can expect a level of professionalism and a commitment to winning even with Penix in the building with how he’s being compensated. Fortunately for the Falcons, Cousins seems more than willing to accommodate that with his words and actions so far, even if his private feelings might be a bit more nuanced.
To be fair to the new Falcons quarterback, Cousins might not have signed with Atlanta if he knew how the draft was going to go. However, he is a Falcon now and appears focused on helping the franchise win a Super Bowl. Why would he not be? As his career enters its final stage, sitting around and being a sour grape when you’re being handsomely paid to do your job in a fortuitous situation would just be a waste of time and energy. Cousins seems like much more of an adult than to carry himself like that.
It’ll be up to Falcons coach Raheem Morris to navigate the outside noise and the locker room expectations if Cousins struggles in his first year and the outside calls for Penix enter the picture, as the Falcons have made a sizable commitment to Cousins as their quarterback that they must maximize to ensure quick success. Signing Cousins and drafting Penix in the same offseason is still quite unorthodox, even if it’s got understandable reasoning behind it for the Falcons and pathways for success.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the people involved as to whether or not this works for the Falcons. Cousins is doing his job, at least at a surface glance, of being a pro’s pro about a difficult situation. As long as the Falcons get wins and everyone holds up their end of the bargain, maybe this really will all work out for Atlanta with the most important position on the roster.
