Caleb Harris
The Atlanta Falcons made arguably the most impressive pick in all of 2024 NFL Draft when they selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. While the club certainly needed a QB upgrade this offseason, it appeared they already answered that question when they signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a $180 million deal in free agency. To make things even stranger, the Falcons front office only informed Cousins of the Penix pick moments before placing it.
After the pick, Cousins was supposedly said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘disappointed’ with the decision. More recently, the veteran gave a softer response, telling the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast that he There is no problem with the organization regarding the choice. That said, he gave a peculiar response when meeting with the media during his Tuesday press conference during the Falcons’ offseason program.
Specifically, Cousins was asked if he would have signed with the Falcons if he had known they would have drafted a quarterback as high as they did.
“I don’t really deal in hypotheticals,” he replied. “You know, we could go down this path for a long time and in a lot of ways. It just doesn’t do us any good, so I’m excited about this opportunity that I have. I think it’s a real privilege to be a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, and I’m trying to take advantage of the opportunity that they gave me with the way I work every day and the way we play this fall.”
This indirect response leaves the door open to speculate that Cousins isn’t exactly thrilled with how this situation has unfolded. After all, SI.com reported that one of the reasons he left the Vikings was because Minnesota was looking for a QB high in the draft. Either way, Cousins spoke kindly of Penix and noted that competition is always present in the NFL.
“Mike has been great,” Cousins said. “There will always be competition in this league and you have to go out and earn it. I will control what I can control and also understand that there is a lot that you don’t control. It’s been a while since you needed to focus on what you can control.”
Of course, Cousins is also recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that ended his 2023 campaign. He said Tuesday’s session was the best he’s felt so far.
“It’s going really well,” he said of his rehabilitation. “Today I felt better. This is also one day at a time. The Falcons training staff is doing a great job with me every day during the rehab. I think everything is moving in the right direction. I When I was here in March and I just arriving, I wasn’t sure how much I would be able to do in training, but today I felt like I was capable of doing everything I would normally do.
