FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When asked about the veteran he replaced as the Falcons’ starting quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. didn’t hesitate to praise Kirk Cousins. There was no facade, just a response seemingly rooted in genuine appreciation.
“He’s definitely someone who I can ask questions to, and he’s always there,” Penix said after Atlanta’s joint practices with the Titans last week. “[He’s] quick to respond and give me his insight and what he’s seen in the past and how I can operate at a high level to go out there and be successful. So he’s been great not just for me, but for this team as well.
“He’s been a great leader.”
If there’s awkwardness between Penix and Cousins, it’s not apparent in how they talk about each other. Cousins said during minicamp that the former first-round pick is poised to have a “great career” and that “he’s off to a great start.” Last season, Penix acknowledged that Cousins “[could] do no wrong” in his eyes. The former Washington Huskies star found himself emulating the veteran in the huddle.
Despite losing the starting job late last season, Kirk Cousins (left) has continued to be supportive of Michael Penix Jr. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
All of this falls on the backdrop of Cousins’ frustration with his predicament.
Atlanta drafted Penix eighth overall last year, little more than a month after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract. On Netflix’s “Quarterback” series, Cousins said he felt “misled” and added that he would have stayed in Minnesota had he known Atlanta planned to take a quarterback that high.
And after struggling down the stretch last season, Cousins was benched in favor of Penix in Week 16. Knowing that the franchise would be moving forward with their 2024 first-round quarterback, the veteran requested a trade this offseason, pleading his case to team brass, including to Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
A trade, of course, has not come together. And general manager Terry Fontenot has said the team is “comfortable” keeping Cousins as Penix’s backup, despite his big salary. Cousins is set to make $27 million guaranteed in 2025, making him the Falcons’ highest-paid player. In March, a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus for 2026 also kicked in for Cousins.
“Obviously, you’d love to play,” the 37-year-old QB said in June when asked if he wanted to play for a different team. “I’m not going to dwell on things that aren’t reality.”
Despite the optics, the Falcons are embracing the dynamic in their quarterback room.
“The quarterback room, people don’t understand,” quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams said last week. “You have the starter, and then you have just a bunch of guys who are supplying the starter with information. So it’s everybody. It’s Kirk Cousins. It’s Easton Stick. … It’s [passing game coordinator] T.J. Yates. It’s me. It’s [offensive coordinator] Zac Robinson. We’re all in this together. It’s a collective effort to help the Falcons win. So I really look at it as a team. Obviously, we’re all here to help the starter be successful and help Mike win.”
Now, what if Penix doesn’t win? What if he doesn’t progress as hoped?
That could open a can of worms with an overqualified backup still on the roster. Just like how disgruntled fans were clamoring for Penix to play during Cousins’ struggles last season, the roles could be reversed in 2025. There’s no telling what that could mean for Penix’s development. At the very least, Cousins’ continued presence is a potential distraction.
We didn’t even get a real glimpse at what Penix was as a rookie, when he started just three games. Despite flashing some promise, he threw as many touchdowns as interceptions (3) and completed just 58.1% of his passes with a 78.9 rating.
Atlanta’s assistant quarterback coach in 2024, Williams has seen Penix improve with his command of the offense.
“He’s more vocal and his leadership is off the charts,” Williams said. “I think, obviously, it’s hard when you’re the backup quarterback and you’re kind of … finding your way through it. But now, it’s your show, you know? You’re doing a lot of things that really fit your skill set. So you can really have a command of it. You can speak up when you want to speak up. And I think that’s the biggest thing.”
For Penix, that means going out and earning the kind of respect he has for Cousins. The second-year QB will have to do that quickly if the Falcons are to reach the team goals he’s already set.
“We should be the best in the league with the guys we’ve got around us,” Penix said early in camp. “We should be unstoppable.”
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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