Kirk Cousins selflessly asserted that he would continue to support Michael Penix Jr. after losing his starting job to the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
Last March, the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract that includes $100 million in guarantees. But the veteran signal-caller failed to live up to the lucrative deal, resulting in him being benched for Penix 15 weeks into the 2024 campaign.
On the heels of the Falcons’ ugly 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last December, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris named Penix the starter for the ensuing game against the New York Giants.
Though the demotion was a tough pill to swallow for Cousins, the 37-year-old understood why he was being replaced under center. Following a strong start to the 2024 season in which the Falcons won six out of their first nine games, Atlanta took a massive nosedive by going 1-4 over their ensuing five contests.
During that period, Cousins tossed one touchdown compared to nine interceptions en route to finishing the year with the most picks thrown in the NFL (16). “It’s pro football, and there’s a standard that I have for myself, that the team has for me,” he told reporters at the time.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t playing up to that standard consistently enough. And so, it is what it is, and you roll with it and now you still get ready – ‘one play away’ kind of a thing – and support Mike and just try to help our team be able to find a way to win these last three to get in the playoffs, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Upon learning from Morris of his benching, one of Cousins’ first calls went to Penix. “Just let him know I’d be in his corner and supporting him and trying to help him any way I can,” he said of their conversation.
As for why he felt the need to reach out to the rookie, Cousins added: “I like to shoot elephants in the room, so I just wanted to shoot one.”
Penix has regularly impressed during his first full season as a starter in the NFL, commanding the Falcons to a 3-2 record with wins over the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills – all of whom were in the postseason last year.
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On ‘Monday Night Football,’ the Washington product completed 20-of-32 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions during the Falcons’ commanding 24-14 victory over the Bills.
Speaking to reporters during a postgame press conference, Penix insisted that the statement win proved that the Falcons are a viable contender. “It showed that we’re one of the ones,” he said. “This team is really good. This team is really legit.”
Despite his bold assertion, Penix acknowledged that the Falcons still have areas to improve. After entering halftime of Monday’s game with a 21-7 lead, Atlanta only managed to score three points in the final two quarters.
“I feel like we have more in the tank and for us to go out there and win that football game with the second half like that, I feel like we had a big lull,” Penix said. “I feel like it is going to be a scary sight whenever we figure it out and all play together and play a full game and not just one good half.”