It was never going to end well for the Atlanta Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The shock drafting of rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft turned a real honeymoon phase for Cousins and Atlanta into a doomed romance.
Even with all the detailed explanations, it never made concrete sense why the Falcons wanted to expend so much long-term capital on Cousins in free agency and draft the person who would eventually replace him in the same offseason. The real reasoning was probably much more awkward.
The best guess is that Atlanta signed Cousins with real intent of turning things around with him at the helm, fell head over heels for Penix as a prospect when it was too late to undo the Cousins signing, refused to let Penix get away and drafted him despite the dynamic it would create.
The Falcons always had a tantalizing rookie quarterback waiting in the wings for a time such as this, one where Cousins’ physical limitations, age and confidence all took the downward slide to being borderline unplayable.
For as much as the idea of Cousins contending with the team for two or three seasons before an organic passing of the torch to Penix sounded great on paper and in press conferences, there was always the possibility that this timeline would hit the hyperdrive if Cousins struggled in a meaningful way.
Cousins throwing nine picks and a lone touchdown in five games, looking like a statue in the pocket and going 1-4 in that stretch served as the catalyst to his Tuesday benching.
Monday night’s abysmal performance from Cousins against a lowly Las Vegas Raiders defense sealed it. Even though Atlanta got the win, the offense looked stuck in place with Cousins throwing the ball and unable to escape even the smallest sliver of defensive pressure. The writing was on the wall.
The Falcons, at 7-7 and showing real promise on defense, special teams and in the run game, had to look at the stagnant passing game, the quarterback behind it and make the impossibly difficult decision to admit defeat.
Make no mistake about it. Atlanta signing Cousins will be one of the great failures of the 2024 NFL offseason, and the much-derided Penix draft pick wound up the Falcons’ blessing in disguise to finding an immediate path forward from the eventual misstep of signing Cousins.
While Cousins played well during the month of October (as he typically does), he consistently struggled against top-tier defenses. As he’ll be 37 next season, it’s fair to wonder if Father Time has just come to show Cousins the door. It’s always possible he will be healthier and more like his old self with more time separated from his 2023 Achilles injury, but it’s not a lock.
With his contract very tradable, another NFL team could very easily send a mid-round pick to Atlanta this spring to give him a chance. Perhaps Cousins will want to retire and avoid any further decline in what’s been an admirable career in the NFL. It’s hard to know what Cousins is thinking right now, but his benching signals his days of being a Falcons have been cut short.
Penix will inherit a good offensive line and plenty of options in the passing game to finish the season, and it’s possible he starts a playoff game next month if Atlanta can punch a ticket to the postseason. Even if the team falls short, a winning record is still well within reach. Getting Penix some live reps before the 2025 offseason is a win with where things are for the team.
The process to Penix starting has been flawed for Atlanta. The team guaranteed Cousins $100 million to start in 14 games and split them down the middle for wins and losses. That is nearly a Russell Wilson/Denver Broncos-level whiff for veteran quarterback acquisition.
However, like the Broncos, the Falcons can make this work if their rookie quarterback can play at a high level (or at least run the offense with success). Cousins can probably redeem himself with a new franchise next season if he’s able to rebound from his dismal 2024 spiral, too
Both sides in this ugly breakup have made some bad mistakes, Atlanta off the field and Cousins on it. However, the heart will go on if Penix works out for the Falcons and Cousins can close his career on a positive note elsewhere. It’s just a wash for the Cousins era in Atlanta.
