Kirk Cousins chose to sign with the Atlanta Falcons over the Minnesota Vikings because he felt wanted and believed he could retire as a Falcon. A few weeks later, Atlanta shocked the National Football League by using the eighth overall pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
In his opening press conference as the Falcons quarterback, Cousins disclosed how he felt like Minnesota put him into a year-to-year situation and he didn’t feel like it was a team he could end his career as the starter. Meanwhile, talks with the Falcons led him to believe if he maintained his play, he could retire as a Falcon.
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- Kirk Cousins contract ( Spotrac ): $25 million cap hit in 2024, $40 million cap hit in 2025, $57.5 million cap hit in 2026.
- 2027: $45 million cap savings if cut
The contract he signed with Atlanta certainly signaled he would be their franchise quarterback. While the deal didn’t make him one of the highest-paid NFL players at his position, Cousins did land $100 million guaranteed coming off a torn Achilles.
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Then, the Falcons front office drafted Penix in the first round. Cousins wasn’t pleased, even sharing his belief that the Vikings wouldn’t have done that to him. Now, as he gets acclimated to a new team with a rookie quarterback right behind him, a new light has been shed on what transpired this offseason.
As detailed by ESPN NFL reporters Jeremy Fowler and Marc Raimondi, drafting a quarterback early “never came up as even a remote possibility” as the Falcons pursued Cousins.
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Keep in mind that teams are scouting the upcoming quarterback class during the college football season with scouts, team executives and general managers attending games. Furthermore, clubs got another chance to get a close look at Penix during the Senior Bowl practices in the first week of February and then meet with him again at the NFL Combine. All of this happens before teams can start talking to potential free agents.
The Falcons front office could claim that it had no idea Penix would be available with the eighth overall pick, but NFL rumors leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft never suggested Penix was viewed as a top-10 pick. At best, some thought he would be taken by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 13th overall pick.
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Yet, Cousins never received any indication that the Falcons wanted to use an early pick on a quarterback for the future let alone a top-10 selection. Even in the best-case scenario for Cousins, it’s unlikely he will end his career in Atlanta on his terms.
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