No one outside the Falcons’ draft room saw them spending the eighth pick on a quarterback. The selection of University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix surprised both Penix and his new mentor, Kirk Cousins.
Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, released a statement Thursday night saying they were not given advance notice of the Falcons’ intention to draft a quarterback.
The Falcons surprised Cousins, reportedly leaving him “stunned.”
“He was called on the clock, obviously because of the delicate timing with the issues of what’s going on,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “That’s it there is never a right time talk to a quarterback about these things, and reactions will always be private when it comes to these things unless Kirk decides to tell you some of these things, whatever they may be. But he’s a competitor, just like the rest of us. And you can always expect these things to happen exactly as you think.”
Cousins signed a deal that has $90 million fully guaranteed and another $10 million guaranteed next March. He will be the Falcons’ quarterback for the next two seasons as long as he is healthy, and the Falcons said as much after the draft.
But this is strange the Falcons would pick Cousins’ successor in the first round, before Cousins had even played a game for them.
“These are not easy decisions. They are difficult decisions,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “But that’s what we’re thinking about. We’re thinking about the fans. We’re thinking about this organization. We’re going to build a sustained winner. We’re going to win for a long time. That’s the most important position in football.”
The Falcons compared their plan to that of the Packers, who took Jordan Love with the 26th pick in the 2020 draft and then placed him behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons before trading Rodgers to the Jets a year ago.
If everything goes according to the Falcons’ plan, Penix will be sitting back, watching and learning for years before he even starts a game for the Falcons.
Fontenot even suggested that Penix’s wait to become a starter could be several years, which is unlikely, especially since Penix turns 24 next month.
“If you believe in a quarterback, you have to sign him,” Fontenot said. “And if he sits there for four or five years, it’s a big problem because we’re doing really well in that position. So, it’s as simple as, if you see a guy you believe in in that position, you have to get him.”
