Kirk Cousins on Falcons drafting Penix: 'I had no reason to leave Minnesota'
Season 2 of Netflix's "Quarterback" series was released on Tuesday, and it's definitely worth a watch if you're an Atlanta Falcons fan. The show follows three quarterbacks -- Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff and Joe Burrow -- throughout the ups and downs of the 2024 NFL season.
While Goff and Burrow both had great seasons for their respective teams, Cousins had a year that he'd probably like to forget. After spending six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in free agency.
One month later, the veteran quarterback was shocked to see Atlanta draft Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Apparently, Cousins had no idea the team planned to select a quarterback.
The show provided some insight into how it all went down, with the veteran QB giving his honest reaction to the news.
"It felt like I had been a little bit misled or certainly if I had had the information around free agency, it would have affected my decision," said Cousins. "I had no reason to leave Minnesota, as much as we loved it there, if both teams were drafting a quarterback high."
While this is certainly a fair point and likely would have altered Cousins' decision in free agency, nobody made him leave Minnesota. The Vikings attempted to re-sign Cousins but reportedly weren't willing to offer him a fourth year. Plus, the fact that Minnesota had planned to draft a quarterback made Cousins feel it was time to move on.
However, the Falcons fell in love with Penix during the pre-draft process, and when he was available at pick No. 8, they didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
Cousins' reaction was understandable, and many veteran quarterbacks would have felt the same way. With that said, Atlanta had every right to do what was best for the team. Even if the move alienated Cousins, the team guaranteed him $100 million.
Most players never sniff that kind of money in their NFL careers. Plus, Cousins made that much for just 14 games of work last season. This is why the Falcons aren't in a rush to do Cousins any favors, such as outright releasing him just so he can play elsewhere in 2025.
The Falcons were heavily criticized at the time for drafting Penix, but it proved to be the right move as Cousins' play was wildly inconsistent. After leading the team to a 6-3 start, Cousins had the worst four-game stretch of his career, passing for one touchdown and eight interceptions while losing all four games.
Despite leading the team to a win over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, the Falcons benched Cousins and went to Penix for the final three games. The former Washington standout showed a ton of promise and will go enter the season as the undisputed starter at quarterback.
Cousins' contract has made him tough to trade, and the lack of a market for quarterbacks has limited his potential options. For now, the Falcons seem content keeping Cousins on the roster to back up Penix.
- Make sure to check out our latest Falcons 53-man roster projection for the 2025 NFL season.
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