Kirk Cousins, the veteran quarterback, was surprised that the Atlanta Falcons, with their eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, selected a quarterback. Michael Penix Jr., a former Washington quarterback, was their choice. The Minnesota Vikings “were quite forthright with the 35-year-old about the likelihood that, even if he stayed, they”d choose a quarterback of the future high in the draft,” according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, explaining why Cousins departed the team. The Falcons followed suit, even though they were on a different squad. Breer continued, saying that Cousins came to the conclusion that “if he stayed, there was a good shot that he would be on the move in 2025″ after Minnesota informed him of this while only offering “to guarantee part, but not all, of a second year on another contract.” It was unexpected that Penix was chosen by Atlanta. The Falcons had already signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, satisfying their need for a quarterback. Many believed he may be selected later in the selection. The Falcons justified selecting Penix by claiming that, following the 2022 trade of quarterback Matt Ryan, they lacked a fallback option. The Falcons deputy general manager Kyle Smith stated last week, “We were always looking aggressively for the heir apparent, the down-the-road, the solution at that position [after Ryan].” Both the most costly and most significant positions in all of sports are found here. At that position, we went from a period of uncertainty in January to, as I mentioned, feeling extremely good for at least the next five years.” When the Falcons were ready to choose Penix with the eighth pick, cousins got word of the team’s choice. After that, Penix had “a very good conversation” with Cousins. Even though Cousins hasn’t had a seamless start with the Falcons, he still offers them a shot at earning their first postseason berth since 2017.
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