The Atlanta Falcons are making the move they clearly did not want to make – replacing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins with rookie Michael Penix Jr. starting immediately.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced the decision Tuesday night in a statement released by the team.
“After review we have made the decision Michael Penix Jr. will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward,” the statement read. “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 had 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’s the thing that’s got to be addressed.”
Penix was drafted eighth by the Falcons in April. It was a surprise move at the time considering the organization had signed Cousins to a four-year free-agency deal the previous month that guaranteed the 13-year veteran $90 million in salary the first two seasons and had a total potential worth of $180 million.
The plan at the time was to sit Penix behind Cousins for at least a year, and Morris had been holding out hope as recently as last week that he could stick with 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 put young guys out there too early, and it’s gone terrible and I don’t want to be that guy,” Morris said last week. “I do know the plan that I have and what I want to do for that young man.”
However, Cousins’ last five games convinced the Falcons 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 replied, “It’s stating the obvious.”
“I don’t think that’s a mystery,” he said after passing for 112 yards. “Every week you go through your process and plan to go out there and play the very best you can. This week will be no different.”
Morris said Tuesday that he didn’t notice any physical issues with Cousins that “jump off the page.” The 36-year-old returned this season from a ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his 2023 season after eight games.
“Some of it is natural progress of erosion through a football season,” Morris said of Cousins’ appearance in the pocket.
The start to Cousins’ season made it look like Atlanta’s long-term plan was going to 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 there, though, Atlanta lost four straight and fell behind Tampa Bay (8-6) in the division as Cousins floundered. According to The Athletic’s projections, the Falcons now have a 23 percent chance to win the division and a 31 percent chance to make the playoffs.
“Kirk got us into a point of contention,” Morris said last week. “You have to have the resolve to stay steady-handed with a guy you believe in. I don’t want to be like some organizations that make harsh decisions on your people when they make their mistakes. It’s our job and my job to back him at the highest level of certainty to get him to get out there and play better. He’s going to come out of this thing, and he’s going to go on a run 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 twice was a Heisman Trophy finalist. How the Falcons handle Cousins from here is an open question. It would cost them $65 million in dead money if they released him after this season, according to Over the Cap. If they hold on to him through the 2025 season either in a return to the starting role or as a backup, they could cut him after that season and incur only a $25 million dead cap hit.
The Falcons could also attempt to trade Cousins this offseason. The Raiders, Titans and Giants are expected to draft a quarterback but might also be interested in bringing in a veteran to help the transition. The Saints, Panthers, and Jets could also make changes.
Cousins’ track record of success will give him some value on the trade market despite this season, in which he stands 17th in EPA per dropback (minus-.05). However, his time ends in Atlanta, this is not how anyone envisioned it.
Required reading
(Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)