Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins got quite the surprise last month when the team he just signed with in free agency drafted his successor in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will most likely sit behind Cousins for the next couple of seasons, but the dynamic in the quarterback room is an unusual with two high-profile signal callers joining Atlanta in the same offseason.
To Cousins’ credit, he’s not airing out any grievances with his new franchise and is instead focusing on the goals ahead for the Falcons.
Speaking with the media on Tuesday during OTAs, Cousins didn’t spend time speculating about what he would’ve done if he knew the Falcons would draft Penix after he signed with the team.
Here is the FULL answer from Kirk Cousins when he was asked, if he was told that the #Falcons were drafting at a QB at 8 would he have signed?
Context is important. pic.twitter.com/DIrdEuUYEW— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) May 14, 2024
Cousins also shared insight into his reaction on draft night when he heard about the Penix pick. He compared the situation to when he first got to Michigan State and quarterback Nick Foles unexpectedly signed with the team after he did.
Kirk Cousins talks about draft night
"They called me and told me hey we're gonna take a quarterback here and I said okay. It was pretty straight forward." #Falcons pic.twitter.com/o1urwRHz1R— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) May 14, 2024
You can see Cousins’ full remarks below.
While Cousins has a right to feel how he feels about how the whole process has gone in Atlanta, he’s also got the assurance from the organization that the quarterback job is his for the foreseeable future and is being well compensated as a starter.
While you never know how these things play out over time, this probably won’t be as dramatic as it could be if Cousins, Penix and the others in the Falcons organization are all on the same page about winning and the results all go well for everyone involved.
At the least, Cousins doesn’t seem like he’s got any ill will toward anyone involved in the situation and is focused on all the right things as he gets settled with the Falcons as their starting quarterback.
