A quiet God fearing man who has played decent football during his career, that’s Kirk Cousins. The money maker recently opened up about his experience with the Falcons and his feelings about the team drafting Michael Penix Jr.
Cousins is a main character on season 2 of the Netflix Quarterback series. He mentioned how he felt misled by the Atlanta Falcons during free agency in 2024. He is currently an expensive backup option for the upcoming season, with Penix Jr. set to start.
Despite the Penix Jr selection, Cousins was the bona fide starter in 2024. Many sports analysts and fans believed he would help the Falcons win the NFC South and make a playoff run. Coming off an Achilles injury and an impressive 2023 campaign, the sky was the limit.
Atlanta was playing good football early in the season. Two impressive wins over the Buccaneers and strong performances made Cousins one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. He found his rhythm as he became comfortable in the new offense.
Atlanta’s loss against the New Orleans Saints on November 10 created a domino effect of doom for the franchise. He threw for 306 yards and recorded an interception during the game. He also hurt his shoulder and right elbow, an injury that wasn’t disclosed until the offseason.
Cousins continued throwing interceptions and looked like a shell of himself. Atlanta went 2-4 down the stretch, and Cousins hurt Atlanta’s chances to make the playoffs. Interestingly enough, the Buccaneers claimed the NFC South title despite losing to the Falcons twice. Talk about a weird division.
Penix Jr took the reins late in the season, with Cousins becoming a backup. Not ideal for a team and a quarterback that had high expectations.
Cousins is human and has a right to feel the way he does about the Atlanta Falcons. The team shocked everyone in the 2024 Draft, selecting a quarterback over a pass rusher. The move was warranted and made sense.
Cousins had played 12 seasons in the NFL when he signed with Atlanta. In that time, he had a 1-4 record in the playoffs, underachieved on multiple occasions, and was a good, not great quarterback.
The Minnesota Vikings had the opportunity to beat the New York Giants in the playoffs during Kevin O’Connell’s first season in 2023. Cousins failed to deliver and make the plays of an elite quarterback. He played well after O’Connell arrived, but never elevated Minnesota to new heights.
Cousins got used to being the man and getting paid handsomely. Atlanta was desperate for a quarterback, so they were willing to break the bank for him.
Atlanta needed to have insurance at the quarterback position, so picking up Penix Jr was smart. If Atlanta had drafted a pass rusher, they would have been in more trouble with Cousins’ declining play last season. A pass rusher wouldn’t make a significant impact in comparison to a franchise quarterback.
He had to come to terms with being on a new team that didn’t have his best interests in mind. After all, Cousins wasn’t drafted by Atlanta and had already made life-changing money before signing.
The Cousins/Penix Jr situation isn’t rare in the NFL. Teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs have drafted younger quarterbacks while having a veteran in-house. Minnesota ended up drafting JJ McCarthy to take over their franchise.
Older quarterbacks like Cousins live a different life. As quarterbacks get older, time isn’t on their side. Not all quarterbacks are going to play in their 40s like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Cousins must accept the reality that teams want to get younger, and his services may not be needed.
I think the Cousins situation is interesting and shows the reality of the NFL. It isn’t always peachy and awesome in the business, and feelings can get hurt. The business side is important and plays a larger role in comparison to on-field performances.
I also think Cousins didn’t take advantage of his opportunities in Minnesota. He had some good offensive coordinators, coaches, and offensive personnel to work with.
The bright side is that quarterbacks get hurt. If Penix Jr. suffers an injury, Cousins can fill in and has a year of repetitions with the number one offense under his belt. In other NFL news, check out this schedule breakdown article from Howe Fresh.
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