Falcons rumors: How hard did Atlanta blindside Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. pick?

After signing a four-year, $180 million contract ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, the expectation was that Kirk Cousins would be the Atlanta Falcons’ starter for one or two seasons at bare minimum. But once the Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in 2024, Atlanta’s quarterback room became a bit messier. Not only did the pick surprise many NFL Draft fans, but it even blindsided the veteran free agent, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.

“Cousins was displeased on several levels. The Falcons didn’t mention the possibility of selecting a quarterback early in the draft in conversations with him, per sources,” Raimondi wrote. “Drafting a QB in the first round ‘never came up as even a remote possibility’ in Atlanta’s talks with Cousins before the draft, a source with direct knowledge of the veteran’s free agency process said.”

Going into the 2024 campaign, Cousins was rehabbing an Achilles injury that ended his season the year prior after just eight weeks.

However, the Falcons were seemingly worried about Cousins’ return from injury — even after signing him to a contract with $100 million guaranteed.

Because of that, Terry Fontenot — Atlanta’s general manager — and Co. decided to address the quarterback position with a long-term outlook.

Although the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, he didn’t make his first start until the regular-season finale that season.

Instead, Kansas City allowed Mahomes to learn behind Alex Smith, giving him time to acclimate to the NFL after an illustrious career with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Now — with NFL franchises looking for their own Mahomes storyline — there’s been a slight influx in drafting quarterbacks without expecting them to start right away.

Aside from the Falcons, the Green Bay Packers made a similar decision when they drafted Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Although some teams like utilizing a quarterback on a rookie deal and allocating big-money contracts to other positions, that only works out if the young quarterback is ready to transition from college to the pros quickly.

Some quarterbacks can come in and light the league up immediately, while others benefit from being Player 2 in the quarterback room during their rookie season.

But, regardless of the logic within the Falcons’ upper management, Kirk Cousins was caught completely off-guard by Atlanta’s selection of Michael Penix Jr.