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Kirk Cousins shares true story of Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. pick

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Scotty White | Last updated 5/14/24

One of the more surprising picks in the NFL Draft a couple weeks ago came when the Atlanta Falcons picked Michael Penix Jr. with their first round pick. There was a little bit of surprise that Penix Jr. was taken that early while there were some quarterbacks still on the board that were projected to go before him, but it was more surprising because of the fact that Falcons recently signed Kirk Cousins. Now, Cousins is going to have a QB battle on his hands this offseason.

Kirk Cousins was reportedly a bit caught off guard when he found out that the Falcons were taking Michael Penix Jr. with their first pick. He recently recalled the story of how everything went down on draft day, however, and it doesn’t sound like there was any drama.

“It was pretty straightforward,” Kirk Cousins said, according to a tweet from Dov Kleiman. “I was at a team event at the stadium, I was just driving back and they called me and told me, ‘hey, we’re gonna take a quarterback here,’ and I said ‘okay.’It was pretty straightforward.”

Kirk Cousins is used to competing for the starting job

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) talks with teammates prior to their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. © Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Kirk Cousins is going to have to compete with Michael Penix Jr. to earn the starting job for the Falcons, but this is nothing that he isn’t used to. From college to the pros, Cousins is used to earning his job, and this is going to be much of the same for him.

“I think it’s similar to the call that Mark Dantonio made to me in 2007,” Cousins continued. “He said ‘hey we’re gonna offer another quarterback, I know you’ve signed, Nick Foles, you guys are gonna have to compete.”Okay, let’s just take the next step.’ And then I was drafted, right, with Robert Griffin, and they tell you that you’re going there with another quarterback in the same class. So, this is more the norm than the exception and I think the response is that this is the exception, when really, if you know my story, this is more the norm of the journey, it’s more of a ‘okay, let’s just start working and start building together.'”

Cousins seems to have the right mentality about the situation. He knows that the job is going to have to be earned and he understands that the job is going to go to the guy that gives the team the best chance to win. It’s going to be an exciting QB battle to watch.

Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins. The rookie and the vet. It’s going to be interesting to see who wins this job, and even if it is Cousins, Penix Jr.’s time will come. Cousins just signed with the Falcons, but he isn’t going to be in the NFL for much longer. He is nearing the end of his career, and Atlanta knows that. They saw an opportunity to draft a guy could potentially be a franchise QB and help the team for years to come, and they jumped on the opportunity. Cousins understands it, and he’s ready to compete.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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