The Atlanta Falcons made a move they clearly didn’t want to make – replacing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins with rookie Michael Penix starting immediately.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced the decision Tuesday night in a statement released by the team.
“After review, we have determined that Michael Penix Jr. will serve as the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,” the statement read. “This is a football decision that we are fully focused on making in preparation for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Be prepared.”
The day after Morris beat the Raiders 15-9 in Las Vegas to improve their record to 7-7 and less than four hours after hinting at the move during his regularly scheduled news conference, This statement was made.
“We didn’t play particularly well at the quarterback position,” Morris said. “That’s what has to be addressed.”
Penix was drafted eighth overall by the Falcons in April. Considering the team signed Cousins to a four-year free agent deal last month, guaranteeing the 13-year veteran $90 million in salary for the first two seasons, with a total potential value of $180 million. The move was a surprising one at the time.
The plan was to put Penix at least a year behind Cousins, and Morris held out hope last week that he could stick to that plan. The head coach, who was hired in January, has repeatedly referred to Penix as “the future” and said the Falcons are committed to executing their “plan” at the position.
“You look at organizations that put young guys on too early and it gets bad, and I don’t want to be that guy,” Morris said last week. “I do know my plans and what I want to do for that young man.”
However, Cousins’ final five games convinced the Falcons they couldn’t stick with that plan any longer. During that span, he threw nine interceptions and one touchdown and ranked 33rd in the league in expected points per dropback (-0.14). When the quarterback was told Monday night that Morris said he needed to play better, Cousins responded: “It’s obvious.”
“I don’t think it’s a mystery,” he said after passing for 112 yards. “Every week you go through your process and plan to go out and perform the best you can. This week will be no different.
Morris said Tuesday that he hadn’t noticed any physical issues with Cousins that “jumped off the page.” The 36-year-old is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon this season, which ended his 2023 season after eight games.
“Some of that is the natural process of erosion throughout the football season,” Morris said of Cousins’ presence in the pocket.
The start of Cousins’ season makes it look like Atlanta’s long-term plan is about to work. By Week 9, he was fourth in the league in passing yards (2,328) and touchdowns (17), seventh in the league in EPA per drop (0.15), and the Falcons were two games ahead of the NFC South division.
Since then, however, Cousins has struggled as Atlanta has lost four straight games and fallen behind Tampa Bay (8-6) in the division. According to projections from The Athletic, the Falcons now have a 23% chance of winning the division and a 31% chance of making the playoffs.
“Kirk got us into contention,” Morris said last week. “You have to have the determination to stay consistent with people you trust. I don’t want to be like some organizations where when your employee makes a mistake they make harsh decisions. Our job and my job is to support him with the highest certainty , get him out there and play better and he’s going to come out of this and he’s going to run here.
But he didn’t, and now the Falcons are turning to Penix, the former University of Washington quarterback who led the Huskies to a national championship last season and is a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist. What the Falcons do with Cousins here is an open question. According to Over the Cap, if they release him after this season, they will lose $65 million in dead money. If they retain him through the 2025 season, either as a starter or as a backup, they can cut him after the season and only have to pay the flat salary cap hit of $25 million.
The Falcons may also try to trade Cousins this offseason. The Raiders, Titans and Giants are expected to draft a quarterback but may also be interested in bringing in a veteran to help in the transition. The Saints, Panthers and Jets could also make changes.
While Cousins’ track record of success will bring him some value on the trade market this season, he ranks 17th in EPA per drop (-0.05). However, his era ended in Atlanta, and it wasn’t the way anyone imagined.
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(Photo: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
