Quarterback Kirk Cousins reportedly left the Minnesota Vikings for what they planned to do in the NFL Draft, but his new team would do the exact same thing.
It appears that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins did not anticipate the Atlanta Falcons using the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select a quarterback (Michael Penix Jr., a former Washington signal-caller).
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated claims that one of the reasons Kirk Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings was “because the Vikings were very upfront with the 35-year-old about the possibility that, even in the case he stayed, they’d take a quarterback of the future high in the draft.” That’s exactly what his new team ended up carrying out.
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The Atlanta Falcons made the biggest splash of free agency this offseason when they signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract. However, his age cannot be ignored as he will not ultimately be the long-term answer to what the franchise plans to do.
With a season ahead of him and a top-10 pick on a rookie quarterback who will turn 24 this coming Sunday, Cousins—who turns 36 soon—was hoping for a situation where he would be the unquestioned starter for over a year. However, his new team has increased the pressure on him.
It has been widely reported that Cousins had no idea the Falcons were going to take a quarterback at No. 8 overall — a decision which left him “shocked” and “disappointed,” according to Jane Slater of NFL Network.
Atlanta Falcons Explain Decision To Draft QB After Blindsiding Kirk Cousins
The league was shocked to learn that the Falcons selected Michael Penix. When Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, it addressed its quarterbacking requirement, yet many thought Penix might have been available later in the draft.
The Falcons cited their prior error of failing to have a succession plan in place when former NFL MVP Matt Ryan was moved away in the 2022 offseason as justification for their decision to select Penix.
“We were always looking aggressively for the heir apparent, the down-the-road, the solution at that position [after Ryan],” Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith said, per ESPN.com. “… It’s the most important position in all sports, and it’s the most expensive position in all sports. … We went from a time of uncertainty in January at that position to we feel really good for, like I said, minimum five years.”
Also Read: Wild Scenario Could See The Atlanta Falcons End Up Trading Kirk Cousins, According To NFL Insider
