It was back in March that four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins inked a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
Cousins’ decision came after spending six largely successful seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. It also came with the firm belief that he’d play out the four-year contract as Atlanta’s starter.
Fast forward just six weeks, and a wrench was thrown into this idea. Atlanta shockingly selected fellow quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington with the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It threw the entire football world for the loop, Cousins included.
The high-priced veteran opened up about Atlanta’s decision to select Penix Jr. just recently. In doing so, he did not necessarily quiet rumors about being a bit upset. In particular, Cousins wouldn’t say whether he would’ve signed with the Falcons had he known about their draft plans beforehand.
“I don’t really deal in hypotheticals,” Kirk Cousins told reporters on Tuesday, via NFL.com. “We could go down that path for a long time in a lot of ways, and it just doesn’t do us any good.
That’s certainly not a no.
Cousins did also toe the company line when asked about being a member of the Falcons.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Cousins said. “I think it’s a real privilege to be a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, and I’m trying to make good on the opportunity that they’ve given me with the way I work each day.”
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Cousins is a veteran. He has been a team captain for well over the past half-decade. He knows very well that Penix Jr. is also a bystander in all of this.
“Mike’s been great,” Cousins told reporters.”(There’s) always going to be competition in this league, and you’ve always got to go out and earn it. I’m going to control what I can control and also understand there’s a lot that you don’t control. I learned a long time ago that you’ve got to focus on what you can control.”
The questionable dynamics moving forward are not yet settled. Based on Cousins’ contract, Atlanta really can’t move on from him until after the 2026 season. This places into question where Penix Jr. stands. His rookie deal will be for four years and a team option for a fifth season.
Short-term, Cousins is the guy. Over the long-term, things can change.