The Falcons made the difficult but necessary decision yesterday, announcing Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. It effectively ends the Kirk Cousins era in Atlanta after just 14 games, a mere nine months after handing the veteran a $180 million contract in free agency.
The Falcons will have to deal with significant financial ramifications in the future. Whether Cousins is traded or outright released, they’ll be forced to take on quite a bit of dead money. However, for now, the veteran is focused on being the best backup quarterback and mentor for the rookie Michael Penix Jr. as he gets set to make his NFL debut against the Giants on Sunday.Â
Controversy soon followed after the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins. The decision to draft Penix not only caught the outside world by surprise, but Cousins was initially perturbed as well. However, as he’s been his entire career, the veteran handled it like a professional, and Raheem Morris stated at today’s press conference that hasn’t changed following the decision to move him to the bench.
“Obviously, anytime you take a step down it’s not going to be met with great appreciation but Kirk was a professional,” Morris said, via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall on Twitter/X. “He’s a pro, he’s a man, he’s a great human, he’s done a lot of great things for us this year. He handled it with class.”
Soon after, Kirk Cousins took the podium to address the situation. One of his main points of emphasis was that his health was not a primary factor in his poor play. He blamed his decision-making for the decline, which could be due to the long layoff from the Achilles injury. Cousins also said he contacted Penix soon after the decision was made.
“I like to shoot elephants in the room. So I just wanted to shoot one,” Cousins joked.Â
Nobody should have expected anything different from Kirk Cousins. He’s going to do everything in his power to ensure Michael Penix is prepared every game day for the remainder of the season. With that being said, the flowers and rainbows approach will dissipate once the season ends.
The Falcons didn’t do right by Kirk Cousins when they drafted Michael Penix Jr. soon after signing him. That rightfully annoyed him initially, and now he’s being benched embarrassingly in favor of the rookie. The Falcons would like to trade Cousins in the offseason, and there will certainly be suitors. But with a full no-trade clause, Cousins is in complete control, and he’ll likely force a release rather than accept a trade, making the Falcons bear the brunt of the financial ramifications.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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