The Atlanta Falcons are making the move they obviously didn't have the desire to make – replacing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins with rookie Michael Penix Jr. effective immediately.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced the choice Tuesday night in a press release released by the team.
“After review, we have made the decision that Michael Penix Jr. will be the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons moving forward,” 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.”
The statement got here lower than 4 hours after Morris hinted on the move during a recurrently scheduled news conference the day after the Falcons improved to 7-7 with a 15-9 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas.
“We didn’t play particularly well at the quarterback position,” Morris said. “That’s the issue that needs to be addressed.”
Penix was drafted eighth overall by the Falcons in April. This was a surprise on the time, considering the organization had signed Cousins to a four-year free agency contract the previous month, guaranteeing the 13-year veteran a salary of $90 million over his first two seasons and a had a complete potential value of $180 million.
The plan on the time was to maintain Penix behind Cousins for at the very least a 12 months, and Morris had expressed hope as recently as last week that he could follow that plan. The head coach, hired in January, repeatedly referred to Penix as “the future” and said the Falcons are committed to their “plan” for the position.
“You can look at organizations that have sent young guys out too early and it's gone terribly, and I don't want to be that guy,” Morris said last week. “I know the plan I have and what I want to do for this young man.”
However, Cousins' final five games convinced the Falcons that they may not follow their plan. He threw nine interceptions and one touchdown during that span and ranked thirty third within the league in expected points added per dropback (minus-0.14). When the quarterback was told Monday night that Morris said he needed to play higher, Cousins responded, “That's stating the obvious.”
“I don’t think it’s a mystery,” he said after a 112-yard pass. “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 this season from a torn Achilles tendon that ended his 2023 season after eight games.
“Some of it is a natural progression of erosion over the course of a football season,” Morris said of Cousins' performance within the pocket.
Cousins' begin to the season made it appear to be Atlanta's long-term plan was working. Through Week 9, he was fourth within the league in passing yards (2,328) and touchdowns (17) and seventh in EPA per dropback (0.15), and the Falcons earned a two-game lead within the NFC South.
From there, nonetheless, Atlanta lost 4 straight and fell behind Tampa Bay (8-6) within the division as Cousins faltered. According to The Athletic's projections, the Falcons now have a 23 percent likelihood of winning the division and a 31 percent likelihood of creating the playoffs.
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“Kirk has put us in contention,” Morris said last week. “You have to have the determination to remain loyal to a man you believe in. I don't want to be like some organizations that make tough decisions about their employees when they make their mistakes. It is our job and my job to support him as much as possible so that he can come out and play better. He’s going to get out of this and run here.”
But he didn't, and now the Falcons are turning to Penix, the previous 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 query. According to Over the Cap, it might cost them $65 million in money in the event that they released him after this season. If they keep him through the 2025 season, either as a returning starter or as a backup, they may cut him after that season and take only a $25 million dead cap hit.
The Falcons could also look to trade Cousins this offseason. The Raiders, Titans and Giants are expected to sign a quarterback but is also inquisitive about bringing in a veteran to assist with the transition. The Saints, Panthers and Jets could also make changes.
Cousins' track record will give him some value on the trade market despite this season during which he ranks seventeenth in EPA per dropback (minus-0.05). However, his time in Atlanta ends in a way that nobody imagined.
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