The Falcons have been among the most popular teams in news cycles this offseason because they signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix Jr.
Cousins inked a $180 million free agent deal, while Atlanta selected Penix with the No. 8 overall pick within two months of each other. It’s not the most efficient use of resources, as many have pointed out, but if it works out for the Falcons, nobody in Atlanta will be complaining.
What does “working out” even mean, though? The scenarios in which the Falcons come out of this looking like geniuses are few and far between, but one would be Michael Penix forcing the club to move on from Kirk Cousins after just one season.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated believes that is a possibility, with the veteran potentially entering the 2025 quarterback carousel.
Cousins signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason and was their presumed QB of the future until they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. Penix would seem to be a wait-and-see player but, unlike other rookie quarterbacks, he’s already well into his twenties and has a wealth of experience. Imagine if Penix has a great camp, or spells Cousins well during a period of injury. Cousins, who is 36 and coming off a torn Achilles, is valuable especially in the highly-popular Shanahan system and would have suitors if he became expendable for the Falcons.
Way-too-early-prediction: Cousins gets the Falcons close to playoff contention and fends off Penix for one more season. But, if that’s not the case, I could see him being in the conversation for a job with the 49ers or Dolphins.
In an ideal world, the Falcons maximize Michael Penix’s rookie contract while incurring as little dead money as possible from moving Kirk Cousins. What is that situation?
Well, it’s a balancing act. The sooner you move on from Cousins, the longer you have Penix on his rookie contract; however, the longer the Falcons hold onto Cousins, the less dead cap hit the Falcons take on.
I’d say the over/under for the Falcons moving on from Cousins is two years. They’re unlikely to move on after just one season, but they’re even more unlikely to hold onto him for three seasons.
This is why the offseason was so heavily criticized by national outlets. The Falcons are going to have to be careful in navigating this quarterback situation, but to deny that Kirk Cousins could be a one-and-done in Atlanta would be naive, as Orr alludes to.
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Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
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