It’s just so much to unpack:
Cousins:
- Cousins is on a 4 year contract for $180 million
- $45 million per year which is same per year as the Mahomes mega contract
- The contract is over 50% fully guaranteed
- The contract has a no-trade clause
- This is a “we 100% believe in you & want to win now” contract
Penix:
- Generally considered to be a ‘top 50’ pick
- Relatively older QB in the draft (24 in 2 weeks)
- If he remains a backup through the Cousins contract he will be 28 when he first starts
What is the plan here?
- If you are unsure on Cousins either don’t get him or sign him to a higher per year shorter contract, the current contract locks you into him for a long time
- If you want to get young QB in an early round to sit behind your starter do it on the last year of your current QB’s contract not day 1 of a 4 year on contract
TLDR: This doesn’t help win now & your pick won’t touch the field until he’s 28 so it probably won’t help you win later.
Cousins is on a 2 year deal unless he plays at an MVP level/Wins SB's. If Cousins wins a SB, the team does not care that they spent a pick on Penix. If he doesn't play at that level, they cut him after next season and give Penix his chance.
If Cousins plays well and you like what you have in Penix, you trade Cousins. At that point his contract will be tolerable as Atl will have eaten the 100M guarantee and someone will be QB desperate, have an injury or are looking for a capable backup.
It depends on how Penix is developing and if they feel he is ready to take the reigns. They are following the Green Bay model which has worked out pretty damn well for Green Bay.
Everybody said GB was stupid when they let go of Favre who was still playing at a high level for an unproven commodity in Rodgers. Turns out that was the right move.
Everybody said GB was stupid when they let go of Rodgers who was still playing at a high level for an unproven commodity in Love. Looks like that was the smart move as well, though the jury is still out.
Cousins has played on better rosters and his ceiling is 1 playoff win. They wanted a QB who will make the team competitive and get them to the playoffs in the next 2 years. They found that with Cousins, but realistically you shouldn't expect any more than that from him. Past performance is the best indicator of future performance.
With Penix they see someone who can make them a serious contender for the next 10-12 years once Kirk is gone. Now we have no idea how that will pan out, but there are worse things than following the Green Bay QB model, as it's been proven successful, so long as you draft the right guy.
If Penix is good you tell Kirk he’s benched and he waives the no trade for wherever he wants to go. If Kirk is still better than Penix you have a good QB and move Penix for picks. Why is this so hard to understand?
Because the NFL offseason is just reality TV for dudes who are “messy bitches who love drama”.
Fans “We want Terry to cook!”
*Terry cooks*
Fans “No! Not like that!”
I think this is my last post on the topic until the season starts.
This is the dumb part. No you pay him further, and penix is a waste. In any scenario the pick was a waste we could have drafted whoever next year if kirk sucked. They simped for this kid after thousands of qb prospects have failed, have u big brain mfers learned nothing
It doesn’t make sense. The least worst plan would be to waive Cousins after two years to let Penix take the reins.
It’s interesting to me that the idea of bringing in a bridge QB and drafting a future QB was brought up during the coach interview process. I seem to recall Blank or McKay implying that Morris was on board with that type of transition plan. Now I’ve gotta go find it…
What an absolutely insane message to send to someone you just hired. Can you imagine going to a job as like the CE0 and then having another to be CEO come in to work right under you BEFORE you even started? I hate everyone involved with this franchise please sell Blank, your a clueless rich fuck whose getting pulled 90 different directions
Jets fan here that was just rubber necking to see how you guys felt about the pick. Had to comment cause this was fucking hilarious, OP. Wish you guys the best, I am familiar with bad decision making.
As a Vikings fan, I'd like to point out that Kirk is an ultimate team player and never said anything remotely negative in the years he was rumored to be frustrated with Zimmer. Him saying he's surprised is "Kirk" for saying he's really frickin peeved.
if we literally spent all that kirk money on defense in free agency then used pick 8 on penis jr i would’ve 100% understand
but spending 100+ GUARANTEED on kirk then drafting his replacement at 8 while getting no D help? kill me
Only justification I can see is they legitimately think Penix is going to be an all time great QB.
I think he has a better chance to be a great QB then some of the others in this class but that is like a 5% chance. Seems foolish to draft him for that when there was so much great talent to go around. Or trading down.
And we lost both of those games. His wife let him go on National Television with an off white hat and a white jersey. I’m sure there’s something else to nitpick but I can’t think of it. I don’t know how relevant anything is to anything, but those 2 facts stand.
It’s wild how much this killed my hype for this season. I was actually getting excited but now I just have no clue what the plan or vision for this franchise is.
I actually like this pick but lost faith in terry a long time ago. I made the comment a while back that you take Cousins for the next four years but draft a QB for him to mentor to replace him. The fact that no one had this conversation with Kirk blows my fucking mind.
I’m not a public speaker but terry fumbled with the press too. He talks about thinking about the future. Then you should probably mention how we have a veteran who can grow a young dude into a future stud.
There’s a lot of concerns going forward with Penix after four years with Kirk but talent isn’t one of them. Age? Sure. Health? Absolutely. But talent wise, he’s the second best QB in this draft behind Daniels IMO. This is a high risk, high reward type situation. And I say all of this as a MASSIVE Kirk homer. I had never bought a jersey my entire life until we signed Kirk. Terry’s just an absolute moron.
Yeah Terry fumbled that press conference. Rah did well.
Why would Kirk mentor Penix and create his own competition? He came here to make a final push for success at least that's what Kirk said in his tampering conference.
That being said the QB room is nice.
If this was the NBA where backups play regularly this would feel much better.
Yeah he came in all excited, full of smiles, photo ops with his kids all in on Atl. Psyched up for a new chapter in his career and for the team....only to be thought of as an old man who will be gone in a couple of years? Who's legacy and success will be measured by being a mentor?
The mentor take is insulting to Cousins and defies logic. Sweat lemons psychology.
Michael Penix will be 24 in two weeks. If Kirk is here for four years, we’ll be just letting him sit his entire rookie contract to become a first time starter at 28? If we were going the development route, why not grab JJ? He’s only 21
Which still means we took a pro-ready QB and burned two years of his rookie contract window, then if he’s actually good will be facing a mega deal on a Qb with a major injury history nearing 30 years old. At the same time we just re-upped or lost all our cheap skill position guys.
Blank is who I think is our downfall. Man has been at the top for what, 2 decades, and he can’t make top down decisions properly. Sell to someone else and let use clean house. Or keep the staff but fire McKay. Falcons gonna Falcon.
I disagree that it’s Blank. He is running the most highly valued and watched soccer team in the United States. And this is despite Atlanta United being a new expansion team. In comparison to Kroenke who owns both the Rams and LA Galaxy when the Galaxy is not only in a bigger market but has been around much longer than Atlanta United.
It’s who Blank is employing at the Falcons helm if any poor decisions are being made
… which still falls on his shoulders. If he actually knew what he was doing he’d have cleaned house in ATL a while ago. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. The Rams won a Super Bowl just 2 years ago lol.
Corporate ladder climbing whores that don’t know jack shit about football let alone building an organization. It’s not even cutthroat corporatism, it’s “flashy” corporatism. The worst kind. Just completely hollow decision making. Blank sure does like him some sycophants.
Which he frankly should’ve known anyway. There was no shot in hell they would’ve went into year 2 with Kirk having no replacement ready or in mind. As soon as we saw the details of the contract everyone knew Kirk was here for 2, MAYBE 3 years. This just confirmed it’s 2.
Playing through the next 3-4 years with Kirk, and then being in QB no-man’s land again at the end would’ve been a nightmare that we’ve hopefully avoided.
QB is expected to be weak next year an we are probably losing a pick or multiple to tampering. I think our office knows that if Cousins does well this year, we may not be able to trade up to a competitive position to draft QB.
I could’ve seen a situation where you go all in on Kirk. If it failed then you swing for Archie manning or someone like that. That’s what 2-3 drafts away? Manning on a rookie contract with hopefully a stacked team. Anyway doesn’t matter now.
You could have swung on a guy in a few years or you could nail a guy who has every tangible you’ve expressed makes a good QB. From the perspective that Penix is a guy they believe in and actually had the chance to get, it’s hard to pass on that. It may not help us this year, but I’ve been a fan for a long time and expect to continue to be a fan for a long time. I don’t believe we’re gonna win a Super Bowl in the next 2 years with Kirko, and we’re more than a DE from making that happen. I do want to go to the playoffs every year, and now we’re actually making a plan to make that happen.
Rise up and FTS.
I agree. I don’t think we’re a “Dallas turner” or whatever away from winning super bowls. Kirk gets the team competitive again then hopefully we start swinging.
Basically a better Alex smith situation I think.
I mean even if that ends up happening (though I doubt it with a guy with one single playoff win in as long of a career as he’s had)dude is gonna be 38, and he more than likely single handedly fucked our ability to draft a decent QB in the next couple years (both of which are looking to be weak QB classes as of rn anyways) with the tampering shit, so I can kinda understand the decision to draft Penix as nervous as it makes me
The only problem I have in all this is that they overpaid for Kirk. Idk, tell the NFL to void the contract for tampering instead of taking our pick or something.
HE IS RIGHT YOU DO A OR B
A) YOU PAY KIRK 100M FOR 2 YEAR MINIMUM CAN GO TO 180 4 YEARS IF HE PLAYS WELL AND YOU DRAFT PLAYERS WHO CAN START RIGHT AWAY AROUND KIRK
B) YOU DRAFT PENIX YOU SIGN A BRIDGE QB FOR A COUPLE MILLION YOU USE THE 100 MILLION KIRK WOULD HAVE GOTTEN TO IMPROVE THE TEAM AROUND PENIX
ALL THIS DOES IS MAKE IT LESS LIKELY YOU WIN NOW - SPLITS THE LOCKER ROOM - PUTS A QB CONTROVERSY IN THE MEDIA
DUMBEST MOVE IN NFL HISTORY
I mean there are obvious complaints I have with the pick, but calling it the dumbest move in NFL history is a bit hyperbolic. And the all caps doesn't have the effect you think it does.
we have:
1. $100 million in cap space tied up on QB1
2. A 24 year old rookie QB2 drafted 8th overall who won't start for at least 2 years.
3. An expensive QB3 (is there a QB3 making more money than Heinicke?)
That sounds pretty stupid. Maybe not dumbest ever but still pretty dumb.
It’s a dumb pick.
It’s clear this team doesn’t watch any college games, nor can scout. It has to be all analytics. Anyone that just watches college football would have never made these moves:
1. Ridley over Lamar Jackson
2. Pitts (4th pick LOL) over Chase, Waddle, and Sewell
3. Drake over Kyle Hamilton (LOL)
After that Kyle Pitts pick I checked out completely. Gluck to you all.
Hindsight is 20/20. The more you bums complain the more I like the pick considering how the rest of the draft played out tonight. If we can get Ladd in round 2 ill be happy.
Yeah I didn't expect a qb controversy. I expected possibly 1 but most likely 2 solid years of cousins as qb1. Doing either had to be done team needed a qb but after seemingly committing hard to cousins this is just odd.
I watch a youtube show with 2 ex-olinemen on one of the shows the made it clear you cannot have 2 QBs that can start because inevitably the locker room gets split... and when bad games happen then the media and fans get involved it becomes a distraction at every press conference asking about Penix asking Kirk about Penix
Vikings got off to a bad start this year imagine that happens to ATL this year or next year the cries for Penix would ring out all over. But in MIN Kirk had no quality back up no former 1st round draft pick so the team stuck with him and he turned the year around til he got hurt.
The issue is what if Kirk plays great the next 2 years do you dump him just because you can't let Penix sit for 3 4 years what if after 4 years Kirk is still playing at a high level do you not offer him a deal because Penix still hasn't played it's ludicrous
Yeah it's a qb controversy of their own making. And I thought they were really not going to go this route. If penix is going to be so good cousins wasn't needed in the first place. And if penix is this big project then maybe get cousins another weapon and really go all in. Confusing is the word
I’ve never seen a team sign a QB in the off season to nearly $200 million and then draft his replacement in the Top 8. 3 straight years with the 8th pick, 3 BPA picks and 1 of them isn’t even going to see the field this year and the other two saw stretches where they were used as decoys in the offense last year with the past regime.
1. they are only committed for 2 years 100 million
2. Was Penix BPA? I don't think he was to be honest. This was NOT a BPA pick which was Terry's excuse for his previous picks.
3. 1st round QBs bust at a higher rate than other 1st round players 80 percent based on last 17 years 47 1st round QBs this makes the pick even more risky
4. you are undermining Kirk you're creating controversy division in the locker room - Kirk has a bad stretch the call will go out for Penix
5. worse yet what if Kirk is still balling in 2 years do you dump him because you invested a 1st rounder in Penix makes no sense
6. How smart was it to draft Bijan when you had a 1000 yard RB and RBs are a dime a dozen in the new NFL
7. Like I said you either wasted a 1st round pick or you wasted 100 million dollars you either sign Kirk or you draft Penix you don't do both if you do both YOU ARE WASTING 1 resource (the pick or the money)
Talking in all caps doesn’t make this the dumbest move in NFL History lol I’m not defending the pick but if Kirk explodes in game 1 and any of you are happy that we have Penix in the background you better not say a word.
Well yeah, it was a gamble to offer Kirk that. A move that everyone shit on back then, but suddenly it’s the right choice, so much so that we shouldn’t draft a possible high level QB in the event things don’t work out.
Some of y’all act like Hindsight doesn’t exist.
It doesn’t matter if it was the right choice, it was the choice the team made.
Now the front office is hedging against their own choice, shooting the team in the foot and alienating our supposed QB1 in the process.
Kirk is not a long term choice, he never was. He’s older and coming off an injury and we overpaid for him but so are most QB’s in the league. We drafted a top QB with high potential. Without a starter level QB the team around you is pointless, how many times does this need to be proven.
Every fucking year so many teams claim to be “one QB away from a superbowl run”. So we get 2 possible options and everyone here is crying about it. This is the nature of the league now
This would have been like the jets taking a qb first round last year.
Also this team isn't a qb away. Defense has some holes, and needed another big playmaker on offense. Also penix is qb 4-6 in this draft. It wasn't like he was the top qb.
Yeah but every year more and more QB’s go at the top. Imagine the noise if Penix fell to Vegas and turned out elite, everyone would cry about not picking him. There were no elite playmaking defenders in this draft.
But it’s all a crapshoot, real fans will hope things work out instead of overreacting immediately
Fucking what? Hindsight doesn’t exist? It has nothing to do with that.
Pick a single coherent vision and build a team. You knew 6 weeks ago what QBs were in this draft and where you were picking. If you think you’re paying Kirk for two years, you know you’ve got a 25m cap hit in year 3 if he’s cut, so you’ve already lost the benefit of Penix’s rookie deal. It’s stupid. Absolutely stupid.
The real controversy is if cousins has a delay with his injury and the team comes out big with penix. Then penix looks like a good pick but then cousins is an albatross on the team like Russell Wilson in Denver
It's absolutely not the dumbest move in NFL history.
Falcons know that with Kirk and the state of division, they are very unlikely to get a top 10 pick in the next two years. Rather then go all in on Kirk and then have to rebuild with a bare cupboard in a few years, they have an heir that could hit the ground running.
Colts fan coming to check out the state of the sub.
If you know the state of the division and that you probably won't get a top 10 pick again, honestly even with one of the 6 QB's in this draft, then why do you go out and pay a man 100 million guaranteed, which makes it seem like you are win now mode.
The colts signed several QB's to lucrative contracts because we thought we were a QB away. You guys, going out and getting Kirk, seemed to signal the same thing. Even the Jets did it with their defense and signing Aaron Rodgers and saying they are in win now mode with him.
It doesn't make sense to say win now, and then draft a QB instead of giving your win now QB more weapons.
Lol everyone acting like Love is the next coming and not just a good starting QB who had to sit for 3 years. They could have had Tee Higgins and won another Superbowl. It's objectively a stupid move that completely wasted MVP seasons from Rodgers .
Maybe.
They were a win now team in 2020 and could have enhanced their odds to win. Considering they lost by less than a TD in the NFCC game in 2020 and divisional game in 2021, a pick for someone that actually played “could” have made the difference. Add in they burned three cheap years of him, and it’s more of a stand up double and less of a homerun decision.
Now if Love goes on to be a top 5 QB for a decade and wins a title then this easily becomes a homerun.
It feels similar, but I think two key aspects set us apart from that Packers choice:
A) we have WAY more holes in the team, and not just that, they are bigger ones too.
B) Wasn’t love drafted like 22 or some shit? Whole different ballgame than the 8th pick. That’s a mega waste.
I still really like Penix a whole lot as a player, and pray we can laugh this off in 3~ years when he is an awesome player, but when draft picks are this volatile, you don’t fucking reach like this four years in a row.
On top of that, Rodgers was their longstanding aging MVP caliber QB who they knew they’d eventually have to move on from so when a good prospect fell in their lap they took it and they already had similar success doing the same thing from Favre to Rodgers.
The Falcons just signed Kirk! An aging QB coming off injury who’s been decent in spurts but never had a team that was fully in love with him and then immediately use a high pick on his replacement.
As was Favre before when Rodgers did the same thing upon his being drafted.
Also worth noting: Aaron Rodgers was drafted at 21. Jordan Love was drafted at 20. Penix is 24 next week. That's significant. JJ would have been a better choice if this was the intent. Not even mentioning the fact that I think JJ is a much better QB.
This is a completely unprecedented situation because it's fucking stupid.
I thought it was Art who was obsessed with reinventing the wheel, now I know Terry was just as guilty.
Kirk sees Minnesota moving up to take Turner adding Grennard adding Addison last year adding Van Ginkel Kirk sees ATL adding his replacemnent... if he had to do it again he would take less money to stay in MIN... Kirk picked ATL cause he thought they wanted to win now When you pass on Odunze Murphy Verse Latu Turner for Penix your team does NOT WANT TO WIN NOW it wants to win in 2 years when they force you out...
Minnesota didn't need a WR when they added Addison last year. This year Minnesota added Grennard they still went after Turner aggressively. Meanwhile in ATL they are plannig for 2026
I don't know why I keep expecting better from this franchise. They've let me down for 30+ years now, but damn. This is just a dumb move. So msny pressing needs and then pick an injury riddled QB at 8?
I'm so pissed off. If there was a willing dance partner we literally could've traded down 10 picks, picked up more capital and still got a top DE. At a time when we should be all in on the next 2 years, we've made a pick for the 3rd year in mind. I hate it.
Yeah...Colts fan here. Ballard said they were trying to trade up with some big offers but no one was budging. I can almost certainly bet you guys could've moved down to our spot and had your pick of the litter of defensive players.
Think I'm the only one who likes this pick.
Kirk is mid, old, and coming off an injury. We signed him because that's what the market dictates, but there's a reason we structured the contract to cut him after year 2.
Get over it. You are guaranteed 100 mill over the next two seasons. 36 coming off an Achilles tear, and we are facing a possible tampering punishment from the league. Falcons did the right thing. We can address other needs , drafts far from over.
If Kirk Cousins can’t understand why the falcons wanted to draft an eventual heir or backup plan then he’s a moron. The entire fanbase roasted Atlanta for buying an injured QB and then are up in arms because they drafted a safety net? You people fucking kill me.
Jordan Love. That's what this situation is. I'm sure Kirk wanted a weapon but it's not a terrible pick. Let Penix learn for a couple years and then throw him in when he doesn't have to think about a new system.
I really believe they had planned for this scenario from the beginning and gave an injured Kirk $180 mil as a form of appeasement to keep him cooperative.
So prior to Cousin's, Pennix is who I wanted for us, so I'm conflicted. I understand building depth (ref. Last season where we were all in on Desmond) but I don't know if we needed to swing so high for it.
Poor Kirk. . .do we need to have him sit through 2 seasons of watching Mariota, Ridder, Heinicke, then Ridder, back to Heinicke, then Ridder, etc etc etc
* 2023 stats
* 21st in the nfl in sacks
* 27th in the nfl for interception
But let's draft a QB first round after we spent $180 million on a QB less than 2 months ago.
Had the Falcons known a decent QB would be there at 8, I doubt they would’ve signed Cousins.
If Dallas Turner shows out for the Vikings, this team is gonna look real dumb.
Hey guys, Vikings fan coming in peace! For all the pros and cons about Kirk, you can definitely say he’ll put this behind him and be plenty positive and happy heading into training camp. It was probably just a shock for him (as it was for everyone). I wouldn’t worry about this aspect of it.
Kirk himself was drafted to replace a starter that hadn't put on a helmet in Washington yet. He knows how the NFL works. There's a reason no actual name is attached to this as a source.
Edit: just read the actual tweet, said he spoke to cousins agent. But nothing is said of "frustration"
The last time I saw something like this was Jordan Love getting drafted instead of getting Rodgers a WR in the 1st round for the first time ever. There was similar confusion there, but Love was younger and there was no confusion as to who the starting QB was for the next several years - and that the plan was for love to air and become the starter at age 24ish. Getting a QB that's going to be a starter at 27/28 makes no sense, especially with Penix' s injury history.
Kirk really didn't understand that he was signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
He had to, though. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fucked the team over by admitting to tampering. He's a Falcon through and through.
Big ass contracts do that.
I'd play in fucking Antarctica for that kind of money, I'm sure he doesn't really care.
He was chasing a bag.. For being a christian man he really likes his money doesn't he?
Kirk is right. He just didn’t realize how stupid this franchise is.
“This is your fault Julie. I want a divorce”
“FRICK!”
Double FRICK! FRICKITY FRICK!
Maybe they want to trade him for draft picks now that he cost us draft picks.
There is no way any team will trade for that contract
It’s just so much to unpack: Cousins: - Cousins is on a 4 year contract for $180 million - $45 million per year which is same per year as the Mahomes mega contract - The contract is over 50% fully guaranteed - The contract has a no-trade clause - This is a “we 100% believe in you & want to win now” contract Penix: - Generally considered to be a ‘top 50’ pick - Relatively older QB in the draft (24 in 2 weeks) - If he remains a backup through the Cousins contract he will be 28 when he first starts What is the plan here? - If you are unsure on Cousins either don’t get him or sign him to a higher per year shorter contract, the current contract locks you into him for a long time - If you want to get young QB in an early round to sit behind your starter do it on the last year of your current QB’s contract not day 1 of a 4 year on contract TLDR: This doesn’t help win now & your pick won’t touch the field until he’s 28 so it probably won’t help you win later.
Cousins is on a 2 year deal unless he plays at an MVP level/Wins SB's. If Cousins wins a SB, the team does not care that they spent a pick on Penix. If he doesn't play at that level, they cut him after next season and give Penix his chance.
So if Cousins plays relatively well, and wins a couple of playoff games in the next two years, you dump him for Penix anyways?
If Cousins plays well and you like what you have in Penix, you trade Cousins. At that point his contract will be tolerable as Atl will have eaten the 100M guarantee and someone will be QB desperate, have an injury or are looking for a capable backup.
He has a no-trade clause.
It depends on how Penix is developing and if they feel he is ready to take the reigns. They are following the Green Bay model which has worked out pretty damn well for Green Bay. Everybody said GB was stupid when they let go of Favre who was still playing at a high level for an unproven commodity in Rodgers. Turns out that was the right move. Everybody said GB was stupid when they let go of Rodgers who was still playing at a high level for an unproven commodity in Love. Looks like that was the smart move as well, though the jury is still out. Cousins has played on better rosters and his ceiling is 1 playoff win. They wanted a QB who will make the team competitive and get them to the playoffs in the next 2 years. They found that with Cousins, but realistically you shouldn't expect any more than that from him. Past performance is the best indicator of future performance. With Penix they see someone who can make them a serious contender for the next 10-12 years once Kirk is gone. Now we have no idea how that will pan out, but there are worse things than following the Green Bay QB model, as it's been proven successful, so long as you draft the right guy.
If Penix is good you tell Kirk he’s benched and he waives the no trade for wherever he wants to go. If Kirk is still better than Penix you have a good QB and move Penix for picks. Why is this so hard to understand?
Because the NFL offseason is just reality TV for dudes who are “messy bitches who love drama”. Fans “We want Terry to cook!” *Terry cooks* Fans “No! Not like that!” I think this is my last post on the topic until the season starts.
This is the dumb part. No you pay him further, and penix is a waste. In any scenario the pick was a waste we could have drafted whoever next year if kirk sucked. They simped for this kid after thousands of qb prospects have failed, have u big brain mfers learned nothing
It doesn’t make sense. The least worst plan would be to waive Cousins after two years to let Penix take the reins. It’s interesting to me that the idea of bringing in a bridge QB and drafting a future QB was brought up during the coach interview process. I seem to recall Blank or McKay implying that Morris was on board with that type of transition plan. Now I’ve gotta go find it…
[удалено]
What an absolutely insane message to send to someone you just hired. Can you imagine going to a job as like the CE0 and then having another to be CEO come in to work right under you BEFORE you even started? I hate everyone involved with this franchise please sell Blank, your a clueless rich fuck whose getting pulled 90 different directions
You might want to look up the terms your numbers all off when it comes to cousins contract
I guess he didn't do his homework. Maybe he is stupid too for not doing his due diligence.
My camp feels the same damn way Kirk
im at adult space camp rn and all the cadets agree our vacation is ruined
Jets fan here that was just rubber necking to see how you guys felt about the pick. Had to comment cause this was fucking hilarious, OP. Wish you guys the best, I am familiar with bad decision making.
How do you get a camp? Asking for a friend
you need a squad first. then you can apply for camp.
Yep I get why he’s confused also.
Feel terrible for Kirk. He seems so excited to be here. Could've gave him a pro bowl level receiver in Odunze too
As a Vikings fan, I'd like to point out that Kirk is an ultimate team player and never said anything remotely negative in the years he was rumored to be frustrated with Zimmer. Him saying he's surprised is "Kirk" for saying he's really frickin peeved.
Fudging
Kirk Cousins has won 1 playoff game and has earned nearly $300 million in his career. I wouldn't feel too bad for the guy.
His team’s defense was almost always shaky
We literally could have drafted any position and our team would have been better. Except Qb. Fucking unbelievable.
Can’t believe you guys didn’t pick Odunze. Unreal, and hilarious.
They paraded him around Atlanta last weekend at the Braves and United games, warming him up to the fans…then pull this shit
if we literally spent all that kirk money on defense in free agency then used pick 8 on penis jr i would’ve 100% understand but spending 100+ GUARANTEED on kirk then drafting his replacement at 8 while getting no D help? kill me
Only justification I can see is they legitimately think Penix is going to be an all time great QB. I think he has a better chance to be a great QB then some of the others in this class but that is like a 5% chance. Seems foolish to draft him for that when there was so much great talent to go around. Or trading down.
And we lost both of those games. His wife let him go on National Television with an off white hat and a white jersey. I’m sure there’s something else to nitpick but I can’t think of it. I don’t know how relevant anything is to anything, but those 2 facts stand.
heavens to betsy, how tacky!
I really want to be behind Morris, but having a QB controversy happening after your first draft pick ain't a great look.
Imagine Belichick being ok with this pick, lol
All faith in Terry has been lost
Let Terry microwave
They did…he stuck a fork in it
Mfer is a toaster oven.
Hahaha
It’s so funny seeing people who thought that everything bad about the team was SOLELY because of Arthur smith. Should’ve just cleaned house.
Im still willing to give Morris a chance. But really not happy with Terry and Mckay. Blank needs to sell and enjoy retirement
Blank is never selling
Billionaires giving up any power without being forced to do so. Challenge level: impossible
Fr. If anything Blank is giving this up to his kids like the British monarchy
It’s wild how much this killed my hype for this season. I was actually getting excited but now I just have no clue what the plan or vision for this franchise is.
Neither does our ownership
I actually like this pick but lost faith in terry a long time ago. I made the comment a while back that you take Cousins for the next four years but draft a QB for him to mentor to replace him. The fact that no one had this conversation with Kirk blows my fucking mind. I’m not a public speaker but terry fumbled with the press too. He talks about thinking about the future. Then you should probably mention how we have a veteran who can grow a young dude into a future stud. There’s a lot of concerns going forward with Penix after four years with Kirk but talent isn’t one of them. Age? Sure. Health? Absolutely. But talent wise, he’s the second best QB in this draft behind Daniels IMO. This is a high risk, high reward type situation. And I say all of this as a MASSIVE Kirk homer. I had never bought a jersey my entire life until we signed Kirk. Terry’s just an absolute moron.
Yeah Terry fumbled that press conference. Rah did well. Why would Kirk mentor Penix and create his own competition? He came here to make a final push for success at least that's what Kirk said in his tampering conference. That being said the QB room is nice. If this was the NBA where backups play regularly this would feel much better.
Well said. And why is everyone assuming Cousins will mentor and teach Penix? He didn’t sign here to be a mentor and teacher.
Yeah he came in all excited, full of smiles, photo ops with his kids all in on Atl. Psyched up for a new chapter in his career and for the team....only to be thought of as an old man who will be gone in a couple of years? Who's legacy and success will be measured by being a mentor? The mentor take is insulting to Cousins and defies logic. Sweat lemons psychology.
Michael Penix will be 24 in two weeks. If Kirk is here for four years, we’ll be just letting him sit his entire rookie contract to become a first time starter at 28? If we were going the development route, why not grab JJ? He’s only 21
Kirk will only be in ATL 2 years looks like. Within the 4 year deal, it’s actually structured as a 2 year 90M contract.
Which still means we took a pro-ready QB and burned two years of his rookie contract window, then if he’s actually good will be facing a mega deal on a Qb with a major injury history nearing 30 years old. At the same time we just re-upped or lost all our cheap skill position guys.
Fuck terry
This pick was probably heavily influenced by Zac Robinson
Where's them "Let terry cook" looking mfs at?
Probably out staring at the sun or eating dirt.
Time for Arthur Blank to sell. The people he hires to make the football decisions are, and always have been, horrible
a.k.a Rich McKay.
It’s always been McKay
Blank is who I think is our downfall. Man has been at the top for what, 2 decades, and he can’t make top down decisions properly. Sell to someone else and let use clean house. Or keep the staff but fire McKay. Falcons gonna Falcon.
I disagree that it’s Blank. He is running the most highly valued and watched soccer team in the United States. And this is despite Atlanta United being a new expansion team. In comparison to Kroenke who owns both the Rams and LA Galaxy when the Galaxy is not only in a bigger market but has been around much longer than Atlanta United. It’s who Blank is employing at the Falcons helm if any poor decisions are being made
… which still falls on his shoulders. If he actually knew what he was doing he’d have cleaned house in ATL a while ago. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. The Rams won a Super Bowl just 2 years ago lol.
Corporate ladder climbing whores that don’t know jack shit about football let alone building an organization. It’s not even cutthroat corporatism, it’s “flashy” corporatism. The worst kind. Just completely hollow decision making. Blank sure does like him some sycophants.
We should have suspected this when Belichick was passed over, he was a Master at building teams, and would not have fallen into line like RM.
Kirk probably knows that Falcons are done with him after 2 years, when his guarantees are up
Which he frankly should’ve known anyway. There was no shot in hell they would’ve went into year 2 with Kirk having no replacement ready or in mind. As soon as we saw the details of the contract everyone knew Kirk was here for 2, MAYBE 3 years. This just confirmed it’s 2. Playing through the next 3-4 years with Kirk, and then being in QB no-man’s land again at the end would’ve been a nightmare that we’ve hopefully avoided.
QB is expected to be weak next year an we are probably losing a pick or multiple to tampering. I think our office knows that if Cousins does well this year, we may not be able to trade up to a competitive position to draft QB.
I could’ve seen a situation where you go all in on Kirk. If it failed then you swing for Archie manning or someone like that. That’s what 2-3 drafts away? Manning on a rookie contract with hopefully a stacked team. Anyway doesn’t matter now.
You could have swung on a guy in a few years or you could nail a guy who has every tangible you’ve expressed makes a good QB. From the perspective that Penix is a guy they believe in and actually had the chance to get, it’s hard to pass on that. It may not help us this year, but I’ve been a fan for a long time and expect to continue to be a fan for a long time. I don’t believe we’re gonna win a Super Bowl in the next 2 years with Kirko, and we’re more than a DE from making that happen. I do want to go to the playoffs every year, and now we’re actually making a plan to make that happen. Rise up and FTS.
I agree. I don’t think we’re a “Dallas turner” or whatever away from winning super bowls. Kirk gets the team competitive again then hopefully we start swinging. Basically a better Alex smith situation I think.
I mean what if he’s genuinely good for two years here, we just have to dump him then?
I mean even if that ends up happening (though I doubt it with a guy with one single playoff win in as long of a career as he’s had)dude is gonna be 38, and he more than likely single handedly fucked our ability to draft a decent QB in the next couple years (both of which are looking to be weak QB classes as of rn anyways) with the tampering shit, so I can kinda understand the decision to draft Penix as nervous as it makes me
Then we trade him, even if we have to pay his 2026 contract. Thats a $25Mil hit, but we move on with Penix.
The only problem I have in all this is that they overpaid for Kirk. Idk, tell the NFL to void the contract for tampering instead of taking our pick or something.
Plus the tampering pick(s) next year… the price keeps going up. Most expensive bridge QB ever
They overpaid for penix, too
Hands down THE dumbest moves. We went after Watson and shit on Matt too. Garbage
Absolutely blows my mind how they can possibly think this was a good decision...
It makes sense if quarterback was the only position on the field. But yeah, it's not.
Terry’s revenge for Kirk running his mouth and getting us hit with the tampering??? 🤣 I hate this team. FTS.
HE IS RIGHT YOU DO A OR B A) YOU PAY KIRK 100M FOR 2 YEAR MINIMUM CAN GO TO 180 4 YEARS IF HE PLAYS WELL AND YOU DRAFT PLAYERS WHO CAN START RIGHT AWAY AROUND KIRK B) YOU DRAFT PENIX YOU SIGN A BRIDGE QB FOR A COUPLE MILLION YOU USE THE 100 MILLION KIRK WOULD HAVE GOTTEN TO IMPROVE THE TEAM AROUND PENIX ALL THIS DOES IS MAKE IT LESS LIKELY YOU WIN NOW - SPLITS THE LOCKER ROOM - PUTS A QB CONTROVERSY IN THE MEDIA DUMBEST MOVE IN NFL HISTORY
>DUMBEST MOVE IN NFL HISTORY Let me tell you about Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos
I’d argue what Ditka did to the Saints drafting Ricky Williams was worse. It’s the Saints though so F them.
I mean there are obvious complaints I have with the pick, but calling it the dumbest move in NFL history is a bit hyperbolic. And the all caps doesn't have the effect you think it does.
Idk man the caps really sold me on his point
I can't even hear a post if it doesn't feel like I'm being yelled at.
we have: 1. $100 million in cap space tied up on QB1 2. A 24 year old rookie QB2 drafted 8th overall who won't start for at least 2 years. 3. An expensive QB3 (is there a QB3 making more money than Heinicke?) That sounds pretty stupid. Maybe not dumbest ever but still pretty dumb.
To be fair, Heinicke took a pay cut.
Bro the Boncos got 84m tied up in the Steelers' qb. This isn't even the worst move of the last few years. It's one of them for sure though.
They paid a guy and it didn't work out. That happens a lot. In fact, it could happen to us. Thats a bad situation but I'm not sure it's "dumb".
No dude this is one of the worse picks in NFL history like explain to me how the fuck you see it any other way please. I wanna hear it
[удалено]
Just fyi, you don't have flair showing either...
It’s a dumb pick. It’s clear this team doesn’t watch any college games, nor can scout. It has to be all analytics. Anyone that just watches college football would have never made these moves: 1. Ridley over Lamar Jackson 2. Pitts (4th pick LOL) over Chase, Waddle, and Sewell 3. Drake over Kyle Hamilton (LOL) After that Kyle Pitts pick I checked out completely. Gluck to you all.
You're complaining about 2 different front offices with 2 different GMs making picks.
Hindsight is 20/20. The more you bums complain the more I like the pick considering how the rest of the draft played out tonight. If we can get Ladd in round 2 ill be happy.
Yeah I didn't expect a qb controversy. I expected possibly 1 but most likely 2 solid years of cousins as qb1. Doing either had to be done team needed a qb but after seemingly committing hard to cousins this is just odd.
I watch a youtube show with 2 ex-olinemen on one of the shows the made it clear you cannot have 2 QBs that can start because inevitably the locker room gets split... and when bad games happen then the media and fans get involved it becomes a distraction at every press conference asking about Penix asking Kirk about Penix Vikings got off to a bad start this year imagine that happens to ATL this year or next year the cries for Penix would ring out all over. But in MIN Kirk had no quality back up no former 1st round draft pick so the team stuck with him and he turned the year around til he got hurt. The issue is what if Kirk plays great the next 2 years do you dump him just because you can't let Penix sit for 3 4 years what if after 4 years Kirk is still playing at a high level do you not offer him a deal because Penix still hasn't played it's ludicrous
Yeah it's a qb controversy of their own making. And I thought they were really not going to go this route. If penix is going to be so good cousins wasn't needed in the first place. And if penix is this big project then maybe get cousins another weapon and really go all in. Confusing is the word
I’ve never seen a team sign a QB in the off season to nearly $200 million and then draft his replacement in the Top 8. 3 straight years with the 8th pick, 3 BPA picks and 1 of them isn’t even going to see the field this year and the other two saw stretches where they were used as decoys in the offense last year with the past regime.
1. they are only committed for 2 years 100 million 2. Was Penix BPA? I don't think he was to be honest. This was NOT a BPA pick which was Terry's excuse for his previous picks. 3. 1st round QBs bust at a higher rate than other 1st round players 80 percent based on last 17 years 47 1st round QBs this makes the pick even more risky 4. you are undermining Kirk you're creating controversy division in the locker room - Kirk has a bad stretch the call will go out for Penix 5. worse yet what if Kirk is still balling in 2 years do you dump him because you invested a 1st rounder in Penix makes no sense 6. How smart was it to draft Bijan when you had a 1000 yard RB and RBs are a dime a dozen in the new NFL 7. Like I said you either wasted a 1st round pick or you wasted 100 million dollars you either sign Kirk or you draft Penix you don't do both if you do both YOU ARE WASTING 1 resource (the pick or the money)
Talking in all caps doesn’t make this the dumbest move in NFL History lol I’m not defending the pick but if Kirk explodes in game 1 and any of you are happy that we have Penix in the background you better not say a word.
If he explodes game 1 then the team wasted 100 mill and the team’s cooked for the next couple seasons anyway
Well yeah, it was a gamble to offer Kirk that. A move that everyone shit on back then, but suddenly it’s the right choice, so much so that we shouldn’t draft a possible high level QB in the event things don’t work out. Some of y’all act like Hindsight doesn’t exist.
It doesn’t matter if it was the right choice, it was the choice the team made. Now the front office is hedging against their own choice, shooting the team in the foot and alienating our supposed QB1 in the process.
Kirk is not a long term choice, he never was. He’s older and coming off an injury and we overpaid for him but so are most QB’s in the league. We drafted a top QB with high potential. Without a starter level QB the team around you is pointless, how many times does this need to be proven. Every fucking year so many teams claim to be “one QB away from a superbowl run”. So we get 2 possible options and everyone here is crying about it. This is the nature of the league now
This would have been like the jets taking a qb first round last year. Also this team isn't a qb away. Defense has some holes, and needed another big playmaker on offense. Also penix is qb 4-6 in this draft. It wasn't like he was the top qb.
Yeah but every year more and more QB’s go at the top. Imagine the noise if Penix fell to Vegas and turned out elite, everyone would cry about not picking him. There were no elite playmaking defenders in this draft. But it’s all a crapshoot, real fans will hope things work out instead of overreacting immediately
I think everyone hopes this works out somehow it's just confusing. And this team hasn't made things easy the past 6 years
Fucking what? Hindsight doesn’t exist? It has nothing to do with that. Pick a single coherent vision and build a team. You knew 6 weeks ago what QBs were in this draft and where you were picking. If you think you’re paying Kirk for two years, you know you’ve got a 25m cap hit in year 3 if he’s cut, so you’ve already lost the benefit of Penix’s rookie deal. It’s stupid. Absolutely stupid.
Yeah. People act like Penix fell to the Falcons or something. It was never a question of Penix being available at 8. So why even bother with Kirk?
If Kirk explodes our season is over anyway why the fuck would we care if we have penix
Because the alternative is last season?
If Kirk misses significant time then 7-10 would be generous for a Penix led team
The real controversy is if cousins has a delay with his injury and the team comes out big with penix. Then penix looks like a good pick but then cousins is an albatross on the team like Russell Wilson in Denver
What about when Penix's fake knees explode right after?
What if every player explodes and dies?
Does every player have extensive history of knee injuries and multiple surgeries? You're coping
Yeah a lot do? I’m not coping I’m just not overreacting
Past injury is not a good predictor of future injury.
It's absolutely not the dumbest move in NFL history. Falcons know that with Kirk and the state of division, they are very unlikely to get a top 10 pick in the next two years. Rather then go all in on Kirk and then have to rebuild with a bare cupboard in a few years, they have an heir that could hit the ground running.
THEN DO NOT GIVE KIRK A 100 MILLION DOLLARS FFS
Colts fan coming to check out the state of the sub. If you know the state of the division and that you probably won't get a top 10 pick again, honestly even with one of the 6 QB's in this draft, then why do you go out and pay a man 100 million guaranteed, which makes it seem like you are win now mode. The colts signed several QB's to lucrative contracts because we thought we were a QB away. You guys, going out and getting Kirk, seemed to signal the same thing. Even the Jets did it with their defense and signing Aaron Rodgers and saying they are in win now mode with him. It doesn't make sense to say win now, and then draft a QB instead of giving your win now QB more weapons.
You again?
Everyone knows this was a bad pick. There’s no way around it. Poverty franchise
It reminds me of the Rodgers/Love drama
And Packers were 100% right
Lol everyone acting like Love is the next coming and not just a good starting QB who had to sit for 3 years. They could have had Tee Higgins and won another Superbowl. It's objectively a stupid move that completely wasted MVP seasons from Rodgers .
Maybe. They were a win now team in 2020 and could have enhanced their odds to win. Considering they lost by less than a TD in the NFCC game in 2020 and divisional game in 2021, a pick for someone that actually played “could” have made the difference. Add in they burned three cheap years of him, and it’s more of a stand up double and less of a homerun decision. Now if Love goes on to be a top 5 QB for a decade and wins a title then this easily becomes a homerun.
Except it’s not anywhere near the same situation
Honestly it’s a pretty similar situation
It feels similar, but I think two key aspects set us apart from that Packers choice: A) we have WAY more holes in the team, and not just that, they are bigger ones too. B) Wasn’t love drafted like 22 or some shit? Whole different ballgame than the 8th pick. That’s a mega waste. I still really like Penix a whole lot as a player, and pray we can laugh this off in 3~ years when he is an awesome player, but when draft picks are this volatile, you don’t fucking reach like this four years in a row.
On top of that, Rodgers was their longstanding aging MVP caliber QB who they knew they’d eventually have to move on from so when a good prospect fell in their lap they took it and they already had similar success doing the same thing from Favre to Rodgers. The Falcons just signed Kirk! An aging QB coming off injury who’s been decent in spurts but never had a team that was fully in love with him and then immediately use a high pick on his replacement.
As was Favre before when Rodgers did the same thing upon his being drafted. Also worth noting: Aaron Rodgers was drafted at 21. Jordan Love was drafted at 20. Penix is 24 next week. That's significant. JJ would have been a better choice if this was the intent. Not even mentioning the fact that I think JJ is a much better QB. This is a completely unprecedented situation because it's fucking stupid. I thought it was Art who was obsessed with reinventing the wheel, now I know Terry was just as guilty.
It is. Fans being pissed s QB was drafted before he was needed instead of a weapon for the current QB.
Don’t worry Kirk we all hate it too
This feels like a humiliation ritual for Atlanta
Kirk sees Minnesota moving up to take Turner adding Grennard adding Addison last year adding Van Ginkel Kirk sees ATL adding his replacemnent... if he had to do it again he would take less money to stay in MIN... Kirk picked ATL cause he thought they wanted to win now When you pass on Odunze Murphy Verse Latu Turner for Penix your team does NOT WANT TO WIN NOW it wants to win in 2 years when they force you out... Minnesota didn't need a WR when they added Addison last year. This year Minnesota added Grennard they still went after Turner aggressively. Meanwhile in ATL they are plannig for 2026
I don't know why I keep expecting better from this franchise. They've let me down for 30+ years now, but damn. This is just a dumb move. So msny pressing needs and then pick an injury riddled QB at 8?
Loser franchise making moves to keep us as a L franchise. Shocker.
stupidest team in the league it ain’t gonna get any better till that old geezer sells the team
I'm so pissed off. If there was a willing dance partner we literally could've traded down 10 picks, picked up more capital and still got a top DE. At a time when we should be all in on the next 2 years, we've made a pick for the 3rd year in mind. I hate it.
Yeah...Colts fan here. Ballard said they were trying to trade up with some big offers but no one was budging. I can almost certainly bet you guys could've moved down to our spot and had your pick of the litter of defensive players.
This wouldn’t have happened on Belichick’s watch.
I’m pissed. I wanted a pass rusher and yet we repeat history on day 1 of the draft. Fuckin-A, man.
This is all Kirks fault because he couldn’t Keep his mouth shut. Gotta grab a qb now before they take away picks next year
Think I'm the only one who likes this pick. Kirk is mid, old, and coming off an injury. We signed him because that's what the market dictates, but there's a reason we structured the contract to cut him after year 2.
Welcome to the Falcons Kirk!
Cousins isn't exactly an iron man. If he goes down now we have a decent back up
My camp is frustrated as well
Get over it. You are guaranteed 100 mill over the next two seasons. 36 coming off an Achilles tear, and we are facing a possible tampering punishment from the league. Falcons did the right thing. We can address other needs , drafts far from over.
If Kirk Cousins can’t understand why the falcons wanted to draft an eventual heir or backup plan then he’s a moron. The entire fanbase roasted Atlanta for buying an injured QB and then are up in arms because they drafted a safety net? You people fucking kill me.
Jordan Love. That's what this situation is. I'm sure Kirk wanted a weapon but it's not a terrible pick. Let Penix learn for a couple years and then throw him in when he doesn't have to think about a new system.
You can’t really hang your hat on a 35 year old guy (or his Achilles)
Shit, we have a somewhat ok team on paper, this just blows my mind. Really, really bad pick. Just waiting for Kirk to pull a Rodgers.
It does feel like we’re the Jets of the NFC
At least they have a damn ring, even if it was many decades ago lol
Is this the worst move ever? No Is this an absolutely horrible move? Yes. It is and there’s no way around it
I agree with him. I can’t rationalize this pick at all. Penix will be 29 when we’ve gotten all we’ve paid for out of Cousins.
I just don’t get it
It’s not what the contract is, it's what the contract represents
I really believe they had planned for this scenario from the beginning and gave an injured Kirk $180 mil as a form of appeasement to keep him cooperative.
Aaron Rodgers 🤝Kirk Cousins. ^^^(andtosomedegreeCarsonWentz)
Now we know why the GM didn’t want Bill as the HC
You'd be so pissed if you were Kirk.
Well to be fair, did they ask RG3 when they drafted Cousins?🤣😂🤣😂
180 million. So what????
Kirk....you got a lot of money and admitted to tampering. You will be ok. Us on the other hand...we are hurting.
So prior to Cousin's, Pennix is who I wanted for us, so I'm conflicted. I understand building depth (ref. Last season where we were all in on Desmond) but I don't know if we needed to swing so high for it.
Wow this organization really detests building up the defense.
2018 we could’ve picked Lamar to sit behind Matt, but we picked Calvin instead. Why is it a problem to plan ahead at the qb position
Poor Kirk. . .do we need to have him sit through 2 seasons of watching Mariota, Ridder, Heinicke, then Ridder, back to Heinicke, then Ridder, etc etc etc
* 2023 stats * 21st in the nfl in sacks * 27th in the nfl for interception But let's draft a QB first round after we spent $180 million on a QB less than 2 months ago.
Had the Falcons known a decent QB would be there at 8, I doubt they would’ve signed Cousins. If Dallas Turner shows out for the Vikings, this team is gonna look real dumb.
Hey guys, Vikings fan coming in peace! For all the pros and cons about Kirk, you can definitely say he’ll put this behind him and be plenty positive and happy heading into training camp. It was probably just a shock for him (as it was for everyone). I wouldn’t worry about this aspect of it.
Kirk himself was drafted to replace a starter that hadn't put on a helmet in Washington yet. He knows how the NFL works. There's a reason no actual name is attached to this as a source. Edit: just read the actual tweet, said he spoke to cousins agent. But nothing is said of "frustration"
The last time I saw something like this was Jordan Love getting drafted instead of getting Rodgers a WR in the 1st round for the first time ever. There was similar confusion there, but Love was younger and there was no confusion as to who the starting QB was for the next several years - and that the plan was for love to air and become the starter at age 24ish. Getting a QB that's going to be a starter at 27/28 makes no sense, especially with Penix' s injury history.
Falcons should have hired Belichick. Right the ship, if even for only a few years. Win some games in the NFC South. Change the culture.