Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. will make the first start of his professional career today following Atlanta’s momentous (but obvious) decision to bench veteran Kirk Cousins in favor of the rookie passer. While Cousins — who had signed a four-year, $180MM deal this offseason to help lead the club on a championship run — was obviously given a long leash, the Falcons believed Penix was ready to take the reins from the jump.
As SI.com’s Albert Breer said during an interview on last week’s TNF Tonight program, Atlanta would have been comfortable starting Penix in Week 1 if necessary (video link). The Washington standout played collegiately for six years, and even when Cousins was at the top of the depth chart, Penix was getting about 10 first-team reps per week while seeing plenty of action with the scout team.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds further context, writing that Penix had the same listening device in his helmet as Cousins during practice and would watch film of what Cousins did and then go through it mentally himself before running the same plays with the club’s young receivers. Rapoport also noted that, each practice, there was a competitive period in which Penix would have the opportunity to run the Falcons’ plays instead of scout-team plays. Those opportunities could be the same first-team reps that Breer referenced, but in any event, Atlanta has long believed that Penix is physically and mentally prepared to assume QB1 duties.
Of course, his arm strength and running ability should also open up the playbook. Breer observes that Cousins hurt his shoulder and elbow during a Week 10 loss to the Saints, and that the veteran signal-caller had not been the same since. Indeed, prior to that New Orleans contest, Cousins was coming off a two-game stretch in which he threw for seven TDs and no interceptions while posting QB ratings of 145.9 and 144.8. But in the next five games, he threw just one touchdown against nine interceptions, and his physical ailments limited the Falcons from a play-calling standpoint.
There will be no such limitation with Penix at the controls, and the expectation is that Cousins will be released in the offseason. Rapoport acknowledges that a release is generally viewed as the most likely outcome, but he does leave open the possibility that the Falcons could retain Cousins as a high-end backup/insurance policy since they are obligated to pay his fully-guaranteed $27.5MM 2025 salary anyway (and since Penix will still be on his affordable rookie deal).
The bigger issue, at least from a financial perspective, would be the $10MM roster bonus for 2026 that locks in if Cousins is still on the roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year in March. Still, a Cousins return remains on the table and is more plausible than a trade. The four-time Pro Bowler has a full no-trade clause, and since he is much more valuable to another team as a free agent who could be had for a veteran minimum deal than a trade candidate, he is not expected to waive the NTC (his situation is similar to Russell Wilson’s, who was able to sign with the Steelers for the veteran minimum following his Broncos release this offseason since Denver was on the hook for his 2024 pay).
Cousins may, however, contemplate retirement. He will turn 37 before the 2025 season begins, and Rapoport says Cousins is expected to take a month or so after the current campaign is over to consider his playing future. He would be walking away from a large sum of money if he were to call it a career, but the master of negotiation has already earned just shy of $300MM from his NFL contracts.
Cousins Retire? He lit up the Bucs twice this year, that much I know…. I think he still has something in the tank, but I have no idea as to how he feels physically…. I am certain a team could use him, if he wants to play
I remember Dan Marino’s last year…..he could not move and his golden arm was shot, he simply could not play, but Cousins still can, at least from what I have seen
Cleveland, New Orleans, and possibly a couple of other teams would be in the market for a bridge quarterback with a league-minimum cap hit.
Cleveland can’t afford another massive QB contract
He would be playing for the veteran minimum, any team could afford him…keep up
It depends on how messed up that shoulder is. We saw what happened to Cousins in the games after the Saints matchup.
He’ll have six months to heal, and it would be cheaper than even drafting a QB in 2025 with Atlanta paying him millions.
I think Cousins only retires if he truly believes he’s lost too many steps he’s not getting back, and that doesn’t sound like his psyche. I think another year removed from his injury he’ll look better, and I bet he’d love to prove he’s still got something left in the tank after what Atlanta pulled on him.
This will not go well for the Falcons. Penix exposed in the championship game last year. he was cushioned in the PAC 12 where defense is a foreign term. Against most NFL defenses, i see him struggling.
good luck to the kid though. would love to see him succeed, just don’t see it.
I wonder how things would have gone if Atlanta had actually invested their first in Rome Odunze or traded up for Malik Nabers to pair with London Pitts Robinson.
Maybe drafting Penix was the right choice long term but wasting years of rookie contracts on London Pitts Robinson trying to figure out the QB situation is how franchises get set back.
Far as cousins Titans are most realistic landing spot
Pieces in oline
Pollard Ridley and are in position to draft the WR from Arizona to pair with Ridley. I think Cousins will have a bounce back campaign esp when the team surrounds him with offense via draft and free agency.
Steelers spent their first two picks fortifying their line for Wilson. I expect Tennessee to use first two picks on offense. 1st at WR, second on to replace Dadunz
I can see Kirk retiring. He’s back in Atlanta where is wife’s family lives, with little kids, and easy to be commentator for either NFL or NCAA games flying out of HartsField airport pretty much direct.
Kirk’s made over $300m. Everything else for the next 20 years is gravy for his family. Excellent financially speaking, career. A tip of the hat to Cousins!
If that’s what Atlanta thought, it makes this seem pretty poorly planned. I actually understand the idea of having a successful bridge build up an era of success for an eventual franchise player (ala Alex Smith with the Chiefs), but if you thought that your rookie was a Day One starter, why sign the multiyear big contract with Cousins? Either they didn’t plan to get Penix and had him fall into their laps, or Cousins was probably overpaid in terms of contract length.
Maybe their perfect plan was two years of Cousins setting up success for the team for Penix and this shoulder injury forced the Falcons’ hand. Either way, putting out now that they knew Penix was ready all along feels really strange, because it makes the Cousins signing look unnecessary.
They didn’t plan to get Penix, they said they were surprised he was still available and shifted their original plan due to that
That’s the way that it makes the most sense. Still, leaking that they thought that he was ready since Week 1 doesn’t make the Falcons look better, I don’t. Seems unnecessary.
Why on earth would cousins ever consider retiring before the Falcons release him. That’s a ton of $ to leave on the table. It ain’t happening.
Something I heard recently was talking about how Kevin Durant came back from his ACL injury better than almost anyone has. But when he injured himself (end of season) and him missing the whole next season, he went over 500 days of rehab before playing again. Cousin’s went less than 300 before playing again. It’s interesting to know if he’s truly not fully healed even if he has been playing and was cleared medically
He’s not going to leave money on the table and pack it in……especially since he got benched, he wasn’t happy they drafted a QB in the first place, oh yea, he’s getting every penny of that money
Cousins leave money on the table? Lol! The guys made a career of putting business decisions ahead of the team. His fragile confidence won’t allow him to be a 1yr bridge QB but if a franchise QB gets hurt next year he might want to fill in.