The Atlanta Falcons are making the move they clearly didn’t want to make: they’re replacing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins with rookie Michael Penix Jr. which starts immediately.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced the decision in a statement from the team on Tuesday evening.
“After review, we have made the decision that Michael Penix Jr. will be the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons,” the statement said. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
That statement came less than four hours after Morris hinted at the move during a regularly scheduled news conference the day after the Falcons improved to 7-7 by beating the Raiders 15-9 in Las Vegas.
“We didn’t play particularly well at the quarterback position,” Morris said. “That is the issue that needs to be addressed.”
Penix was drafted eighth overall by the Falcons in April. It was a surprising move at the time, as the organization had signed Cousins to a four-year free-agency deal the month before that guaranteed the 13-year veteran a salary of $90 million over his first two seasons and a total potential value of $180 million had. .
The plan at the time was for Penix to sit behind Cousins for at least a year, and Morris had held out hope as recently as last week that he could stick to that plan. The head coach, who was hired in January, repeatedly referred to Penix as “the future” and said the Falcons were committed to their “plan” at the position.
“You can look at organizations that have drafted young guys too early, and it’s gone terribly and I don’t want to be that guy,” Morris said last week. “I know what plan I have and what I want to do for that young man.”
However, Cousins’ last five games convinced the Falcons that they could no longer stick to the plan. He threw nine interceptions and one touchdown in that span and ranked 33rd in the league in expected points added per dropback (minus-.14). When the quarterback was told Monday night that Morris said he needed to play better, Cousins responded, “It’s obvious.”
“I don’t think that’s a mystery,” he said after passing 112 yards. “Every week you go through your process and plan to go out and play the best you can. This week will be no different.”
Morris said Tuesday that he hasn’t noticed any physical issues with Cousins that “jump off the page.” The 36-year-old returned from a torn Achilles tendon this season, ending his 2023 season after eight games.
“Some of it is the natural progression of erosion over a football season,” Morris said of Cousins’ performance in the pocket.
Cousins’ start to the season made it seem like Atlanta’s long-term plan would work. He was fourth in the league in passing yards (2,328) and touchdowns (17) and seventh in EPA per dropback (.15) through Week 9, and the Falcons raced to a two-game lead in the NFC South.
From that point on, however, Atlanta lost four straight games and fell behind Tampa Bay (8-6) in the division as Cousins struggled. According to The Athletic’s predictions, the Falcons now have a 23 percent chance of winning the division and a 31 percent chance of making the playoffs.
“Kirk has gotten us into a bone of contention,” Morris said last week. “You must have the resolve to stand firm against someone you believe in. I don’t want to be like some organizations that make harsh decisions about your people when they make their mistakes. It is our job and my job to support him at the highest level of assurance so that he can come out and play better. He’s going to come out of this thing and run over here.”
He didn’t, though, and now the Falcons are turning to Penix, the former University of Washington quarterback who led the Huskies to the national title game last season and was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist. How the Falcons handle Cousins from here is an open question. According to Over the Cap, it would cost them $65 million in dead money if they release him after this season. If they keep him through the 2025 season, either as a return to the starting role or as a backup, they can cut him after that season and only incur a $25 million dead cap hit.
The Falcons could also look to trade Cousins this offseason. The Raiders, Titans and Giants are expected to draft a quarterback, but they may also be interested in bringing in a veteran to help the transition. The Saints, Panthers and Jets could also make changes.
Cousins’ success story will earn him some value on the trade market despite this season, in which he ranks 17th in EPA per dropback (minus-.05). However, his time ends in Atlanta, this is not how anyone imagined it.
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(Photo: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)