A report from early June detailed how the Atlanta Falcons holding onto veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins through the club's springtime program was "not a hindrance" as it pertains to the development of second-year pro Michael Penix Jr., who entered the summer as the team's undisputed starter after he replaced Cousins in the lineup this past December.
Over the weekend, Falcons reporter Marc Raimondi of ESPN expanded on how Penix and Cousins are handling their unique situation.
"Penix has confidence and poise beyond his level of experience," Raimondi wrote. "It doesn't seem likely the presence of Cousins will shake him. ...Besides his steely mindset, Penix has developed a friendship with Cousins, which included the two commuting together to the team plane last year for a few road games. Penix and Cousins live on the same street in suburban Atlanta."
Cousins' relationship with the Falcons hasn't been what he wanted when he agreed to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed to join the club in March 2024. Atlanta surprised many when it made Penix the eighth overall pick of last year's draft, and the Falcons then turned to the 25-year-old in Week 16 of his rookie season.
Penix won his first start but then suffered back-to-back losses en route to the Falcons missing the playoffs with a record of 8-9. In total, he completed just 58.1 percent of 105 pass attempts for 775 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also contributed one rushing score.
While it's no secret that Cousins, who turns 37 years old in August, wants to be a starter at this stage of his career, there's no indication any team is willing to acquire him and hand him a QB1 gig as of June 30. The Pittsburgh Steelers were routinely linked with Cousins up until they signed future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers shortly before players reported for the team's mandatory minicamp.
It was previously shared that Cousins "might not just waive his no-trade clause to start anywhere" once training camp gets underway in late July, in part because his family "is now rooted in his wife’s home state of Georgia." Raimondi added that Cousins is "unlikely to give the go-ahead on a trade where he'd end up sitting behind another quarterback" because he's already serving as a QB2 with his current team.
For now, it seems that Cousins will tolerate being Penix's primary backup and mentor up until quarterbacks begin taking hits during exhibition games. It remains to be seen if a team that loses a starter to an injury will pursue Cousins before the in-season trade deadline arrives on Nov. 4.
