NFL executives blast Falcons for Michael Penix Jr., Kirk Cousins plan

Mike Sando of The Athletic tried to find unnamed NFL executives willing to praise the Atlanta Falcons for making quarterback Michael Penix Jr. the eighth pick of the 2024 draft after they signed Kirk Cousins in free agency. 

Sando was unsuccessful. 

"I’d love to know what the conversations were in Atlanta leading up to that and why there was no adult supervision," a former general manager told Sando about what remains the draft's most-discussed move from last Thursday night. "Truth be told, they could be good next year with Kirk Cousins, come away with the 25th or 26th pick, and then you take a quarterback in that range."

Executives and other NFL personnel aren't buying any idea that the Falcons had to take Penix now because they otherwise may not find an eventual replacement for Cousins down the road. 

Atlanta signed the veteran who turns 36 years old this summer to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed less than two full months before the club acquired Penix.

One executive wondered if Cousins has experienced some type of setback in his recovery from the torn Achilles he suffered on Oct. 29. Sando was sure to point out there's no reason to believe that's the case heading into the first weekend of May. 

"People say they can get out of Kirk’s deal after two years, which is basically saying, 'Well, we expect him to fail, so we can get rid of the contract after '25,' but you don’t get to think that way when you’re putting $100M into Kirk Cousins," that executive added. 

A different executive suggested that Atlanta should've attempted to sign Russell Wilson to a team-friendly deal or should've traded with the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields if individuals such as Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot knew back in March the team could draft a quarterback via the eighth pick. 

"No one would fault you for that," the executive explained. "They would have been much better off with money invested elsewhere. And the thing about Penix is, he is ready to play now. He is not the rookie QB that needs to wait." 

Fontenot said he'd be alright if the rookie who is "ready to play now" serves as a backup for up to "four or five years." That comment may have sparked more questions than answers among outsiders. 

"How you could go through free agency and think to yourself, 'Penix is our guy, but let’s give $100M to Kirk Cousins just in case Penix doesn’t fall to us at [pick No. 8]'?" another executive said about the situation. "Come on, man."