Kirk Cousins shakes off Michael Penix Jr., Falcons QB drama: It’s ‘more of the norm’

There is nothing to see here folks. 

When the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency, nothing but optimism surrounded the team and the potential of the offense going into the 2024 NFL season.  But, when the team drafted Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, that optimism turned into speculation and questions.

Why would the Falcons select a QB when they just spent so much money on one?

Well, aside from Cousins coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, Atlanta is also looking ahead to the future.  But did they need to use a top 10 pick on a QB who may not play for a couple of seasons?  Or will the pick end up being worth pushing and challenging Cousins to be at his best?

Kirk Cousins leading the Atlanta Falcons in the most professional way possible

Whatever the spin, Cousins put any potential QB drama to rest following OTA's when asked whether he would’ve have signed with the Falcons if he could forecast the team using the No. 8 overall pick on Penix Jr.

“I don’t really deal in hypotheticals.  We could go down that path for a long time in a lot of ways.  It just doesn’t do us any good,” Cousins said, via the team’s official website.  “I’m excited for 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 make good on the opportunity that they’ve given me with the way I work each day and the way we play this fall.”

The 13-year veteran is saying all the right things, but he has been through this before.  Not only was Cousins drafted in the same draft by the same team who used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to select Robert Griffin III, he also had stiff competition in college when Nick Foles committed to Michigan State the same year, he signed back in 2007.

So, for Cousins, the Falcons bringing in more talent at the quarterback position is what he has grown use to in his football career and another challenge.

“The response is that this is the exception when really, if you know my story, this is more the norm of the journey,” Cousins said.  “It’s more: OK, let’s just start working and start building together.”

As for now, Cousins is QB1 in Atlanta, but given the team’s recent situation at the position, no one can blame the team for locking up an insurance policy in Penix Jr. in case the veteran is faced with another injury.  In the meantime, the team is also setting up their future by having the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner up learn behind the professionalism of an NFL quarterback hungry to win a Super Bowl. 

So, while there is nothing to see here…for now, there is also a lot to see here as far as how a veteran quarterback and a young rookie with talent can work together in pushing forward the needs of an organization.