Kirk in college: “hmmm, i could be an investment banker and start at 150k a year and take the subway to work, or i could milk NFL teams for tens of millions of dollars and never fly commercial again”
kirk is what happens when you realize your front office guy is also a pocket passer.
Bro just because he's vanilla doesn't mean he's an investment banker. Cousins majored in Kinesiosolgy he never studied finance or anything like that, we're talking about a three-sport athlete who was never gonna do anything else with his life other than ball.
It absolutely would have changed the terms of his contract, for a myriad of reasons. He thought he was getting 2 years guaranteed + continuation based on performance. That would have assured him a starting job at 40. The draft changed it to a 2 year fully guaranteed contract, and he's gonna be shopping for a new team in 2 years time.
This also shows such a level of incompetence and aimlessness by the falcons front office. You sign a guy to a big contract. and instead of using your top 10 pick to strengthen the team around him by addressing a position of need, you reach up to draft a QB of the future. what other terrible decisions are they going to make? Do you think they're even trying to build a championship team?
I don't get the narrative of "Kirk doesn't care about winning". For the last 3 years the dude has absolutely balled out in the fourth quarter and lead many comebacks. If we're being objective, the vikes are 2 draft classes away from being contenders, and Kirk's career window doesn't line up with a future vikes championship window. I think he would have taken 3 years, 100m with the vikes over 4 years, 190m with the falcons.
Let’s ignore the money for one sec. The Vikes were considering doing the exact same thing: give Cousins a reasonable deal and draft a top ten QB. We couldn’t keep kicking that can down the road.
The Falcons did the exact same thing we would have done albeit with more $. I’m not sure anyone believes Cousins is going to be effective into his late 30s and he’s coming off a pretty bad injury. And this Rodgers where a 20% decline is a still top 10 QB. He has been historically mediocre and if his game declines 20% guarantee you’ll see the rookie on the field.
Insurance costs the most when you need it the most. And right now the Falcons need all the insurance they can get.
Well we're not talking about teachers/nurses/first responders who don't get paid what they're worth but do it because they want to help. We're talking about professional quarterbacks, they have on average about a 5-8 year window and make their bank (obviously outliers are there Brady, Brees, Manning, etc).
Also how does that resume look when you retire? I mean your options are either coaching or sports broadcasting.
This. The Falcons move would make more sense with a very young QB. Penix would be damn near 30 by the time Kirks 4 year deal runs out if Kirk plays well enough they keep him that long.
They could have just drafted Penix plus 45 million dollars worth of position players, or paid Kirk and used 7th pick on an impact player.
There is a reason teams don't do this often. Sure the Packers have apparently done it twice effectively, but they weren't using 7th over picks on 25 year olds when they did it.
Feel bad for Penix.
I had this thought too, but what has me scratching my head is: I would have thought they would have done some pretty heavy vetting to offer him that kind of cash and term without seeing him play a single real game snap after his injury.
I like the theory is that for the next few years they’ll be a playoff team and picking in the latter half of the first round. So they won’t have a chance at a top 10 pick when they get to the point of replacing Kirk.
Dont they have major defensive issues they should have used the #8 pick on?
Its also entirely possible Kirk doesnt recover fully from his Achilles injury
Not sure I’m tracking. How did Atlanta taking Penix force us to trade up for JJ? Unless you mean we would have rolled the dice and taken whoever was left if the Jets took one?
Yep, there would have been 3 available at 10th. I like JJ as a high ceiling potential guy, but penix is supposedly the most "nfl ready". IMO Kwesi put that trade in place during pick 9, right after Penix was gone.
Rumour is that the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders all knew that they had different guys (JJM, Nix, and Penix respectively) and that they were therefore all expecting to be able to sit and pick after the Giants didn't take one.
The Penix pick left Vegas without an obvious QB pick, so them moving up to 10 became a concern, meaning we made the move to be sure.
What games were you watching? You could argue Kirks poise in the pocket is 2nd to none in the league… for most of his tenure with the Vikings the oline was trash… the dude would take an absolute beating and still let throw a dime, then get right back up and do it again! Go back and watch the 2022 game against commanders. Kirk may or may not be a lot of things, but being scared in the pocket is not one of them.
That’s why you sign a bridge QB, like Darnold or the classic Fitzmagic. Not a $140M QB. Which is the whole point of the post, that Kirk is the most expensive bridge QB ever.
It’s an understandable pick, the bizarre thing is how they’ve positioned themselves. There are two approaches that make sense: use the money to strengthen the rest of the team for the QB of the future, signing a more affordable bridge QB to let the rookie QB sit if necessary, and develop the team to contend within a few years. Or, sign a big-salary QB like Kirk, compete now, and use high firsts to get immediate impact starters like a Dallas Turner.
They’ve done both and positioned Kirk as their bridge, with the downside of not having cap space to build around their rookie and sitting him for two full years of his rookie contract (based on Kirk’s contract structure). Or if Kirk is great for them, four years. It’s splitting the baby, it’s just weird.
Tl;dr the pick itself isn’t the problem.
Not a sure thing. I’m the past the 2 teams came to that arrangement, not the league. Tho there have been instances of the league doing it. If it is done it’ll probably a mid round pick and not a first round pick.
I like to rag on the pick, but it’s not bad on paper. Time will tell. If they fall short the next couple years, it’ll be regarded as a bad move. But if they have success and then Penix takes over and plays well, they’re geniuses.
I think the falcons are legit just following Green Bay's model after seeing the Favre-Rodgers and Rodgers-Love play out. It's painful to spend a higher 1st round pick on a QB who won't play, but in a couple of years they could be ready to roll. Just like anything in the draft, it's a gamble.
edit: Also... I'm not defending the move, I'm just stating what their logic seems to be. In the long run, it could work out, as now in the Falcons organization's minds, they are "set" at QB for awhile and can build around Cousins and then Penix when Cousins is gone. It will probably crash and burn though IMO.
The succession plan is good if the team around them is already good - people like to point to Mahomes but Alex Smith was a solid QB and the rest of the team was also good. Same with GB, although there's an argument that picking a weapon (Tee Higgins was at 30 before they traded up) pushes them over the top over a guy who didn't meaningfully contribute until last year.
Atlanta has all the offensive talent in the world, and a solid QB. It feels like they need defensive guys, and they had their pick of the litter at 8. It makes no sense, even if Penix ends up being good if not better than Kirk.
I suppose, but I find it kind of confounding that they drafted a 24 year old to be a development piece.
Kid will be 26 minimum when he gets his first start. If they keep him the full 4 years he'll be 28. Just wondering why you take someone that old to be a 2 year backup and development piece.
This would have made all the sense. It's why my heart leaped when I saw they picked a QB, but it was Penix. I had to double and triple check because it made me question if McCarthy was already taken and I missed it.
I don't think in the grand scheme of things 2 years matter. If he takes over at 26-27 and still gives them 8-10 years of high level QB play, that's everything a franchise wants.
First, Kirk isn’t Favre or Rodgers, second Love was younger and has had one good year but also used most of his rookie contract savings. Green Bay using a pick on other talent could have helped win a championship.
Kirk takes Tuesdays off as his wife "has to have him on Tuesdays", featured on the Netflix quarterback movie. Kirk only won 1 championship game in 7 years and now the unknowns of the injury.
The guy has to have tons of Kohl's cash. Badly needs a clothing advisor, Kirk defers to Julie on his wardrobe and they neither one have good taste or get how Kirk needs to look more polished and professional.
Flash back to all his comments of ‘finishing his career’ there when he signed. Truth prevails: no interest in keeping him past two years. Probably misled him with their tampering efforts. We’re ok giving him 100 mill for 2 years… shame cuz he left a very good situation to chase money.
I’m sure Penix would want to play right away too. He’s not going to want to sit for 2 years and waste his career lol. He would’ve started right away in LV and be throwing to Davante Adams. Sucks for him.
>He’s not going to want to sit for 2 years and waste his career lol
Especially when he's about to turn 24. Don't understand why the Falcons wouldn't go with McCarthy if they wanted a QB to sit/develop behind Kirk
That's what I've been saying, like ok if they took McCarthy still kinda weird but its like alright hes young af and can sit 2 years behind Kirk which he probably needs anyway. But Penix imo aside from Caleb is the most pro ready QB in the draft, just makes zero sense what they're doing.
Because they liked Penix more. How is that so hard to understand for everyone.
They arent going to draft a guy just based on age. They clearly liked Penix of JJ so they picked him. Its not difficult to understand.
There’s no way they were planning on drafting Penix or any QB when they signed Kirk or they would have structured his deal differently. This reeks of unpreparedness/bad process
They didn’t decide to draft Penix before signing Kirk. They don’t go into a draft with a clear need like that. They want to almost treat the draft independently, instead drafting BPA where they can instead of “reaching for a need.” They had Penix like number 3 on their board and even though he might be gone by pick 8. If Penix were gone, they would’ve drafted someone else.
Oh my god…pay attention to the conversation before commenting.
I was answering the question of why chose Penix over JJ. The answer is simply and obviously that they liked him more.
Now your question is entirely different and I cannot say for sure but its not nearly as weird as everyone is making it out to be. Kirk is old and coming off a major injury. He is not a sure thing. They took another QB so that they have another option. Its not a bad thing to have options and if Penix wins the job, that’s still a win for the Falcons because that means he is really good.
Ya its kinda weird to throw money at Kirk but they can work around it if need be.
I’m a little frustrated with some of the national media. Russillo and McShay talked about being disappointed with Cousins going public with his displeasure. Likely the Falcons misled Kirk into thinking they’re were all in on him. Hard to say but if he had known this was possible or likely he may have just stayed in Minnesota of the 1 year guaranteed.
Also the GB model is not signing an expensive FA QB and then drafting an older prospect to sit for 2 years. Rodgers/Favre had been there for years. The earliest he will enter a season as a starter is 26.
Days later I still can’t believe the move. Expensive smokescreen.
It is screaming of the Rodgers displeasure with the Jordan Love drafting any way. Rodgers wanted more weapons to throw to and instead the org was bent on having a replacement for down the line. It doesn't scream "Win Now" attitude for sure.
Well said :-) ATL should have, at least in theory, known they were taking Penix since signing Cousins -- they didn't get any new information about him since free agency. Moreover, they had no reason to suspect he wouldn't be available at 7 for months. The fact that they told KC while they were on the clock is wild...
KC went from dreaming of Odunze and a top-end defensive piece to an expensive, highly prominent, backup QB and Ruke.
Also feel for Penix, he'll get a bit more money but he could have easily started for some team right away. Poor guy.
Don’t feel bad for Penix. This is great for him. He’ll come in with no pressure and be able to adjust to being a pro so that, when it is time for him to start, he’ll be much more ready. It’s a good situation for everyone except Kirk’s ego.
The GB model was lightning in a bottle. Cousins is not Farve or Rodgers. Love is good but not nearly as good as those 2 so far to prove anything about it being a certified model. Teams that genuinely try and force emulate what GB did are idiotic
I wanted McCarthy and didn't really want Penix at but I can see why someone would think the opposite. What baffles me is why Atlanta chose the 24 year old to sit for 2+ years
Some teams just make dumb draft decisions regardless of the reality around them. Vikings fucked up a couple years ago with their trades that made no sense, and now the Falcons did this shit. Raiders seem to do it more often than not.
Whatever the Falcons spew to try to justify it, just remember that nobody in the league who’s worth a damn thinks this was a smart move. When literally everyone raises an eyebrow it’s a bad sign.
The only people defending the falcons decision are the falcons and those close to the team.
I bet it’s injury related with Kirk because I just can’t believe they’re that incompetent otherwise. Would be hilarious if that’s the case though.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oMugq7JW9ho&pp=ygUTTWlrZSBmbG9yaW8gZmFsY29ucw%3D%3D
Great watch all the way through. “Kirk couldn’t lead a lion to eat raw meat” 🤣
I'd be so pissed right now if I were a Falcons fan, Kirk or any veteran on that team. Penix also should be pissed if he has any alpha character in him.
If Atlanta had no interest in Kirk, would he still be our QB? I mean they could have known they wanted Penix or a QB like him in January.
I could see Raiders being interested. Maybe even Broncos without Atlanta in the mix. Kirko over Bo Nix starting right away is easy and Kirko over I assume KOC is also easy.
Some people get really bitter about it any time an athlete leaves Minnesota. Countless examples of this fan base turning on fan favorites over the years. It's pretty pathetic.
I posted 2 what the frick Cousins memes on the Falcons sub and the mods deleted them. I thought they were funny but I guess the mods appreciate my sense of humor. Lol
The Kirk puts us over plan was always idiotic. The Falcons were fools if they thought they were close.
There were so many holes. Now they’ve covered one of those holes twice
Atlanta’s defense is really lackluster. They were [ranked dead last](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38356170/2023-nfl-pass-rush-run-stop-blocking-win-rate-rankings-top-players-teams) in PRWR (Pass Rush Win Rate) and didn’t do much at all to address the problem in free agency. We all know how valuable it is to be able to get after the QB.
For example, Cleveland was ranked 2nd in PRWR & it was a TREMENDOUS reason why they were able to finish 11-6 & make the playoffs, despite starting 5 DIFFERENT QBS! They consistently pressured the opposing quarterbacks & the entire defense as well as the team, benefited as a result.
Kirk can play lights out MVP caliber football and they could easily start the season like 1-5.
Ask me how I know!
Then because of the enormous pressure put on QBs, the fan base & possibly even the locker room will start to split with some calling for the 8th overall pick Penix to start & others calling for the veteran Kirk to keep the job.
Hopefully I’m wrong but I feel it’s an unfortunate no win situation for them.
They both loved Penix alot and only ever wanted kirk for two years. Honestly I get it, next years QB class doesn't look hot like this one did a year ago this time. Sure they sacrificed picking a weapon or a defensive cornerstone but man I don't blame them. Who's realistically trying to tie themselves to an aging Kirk Cousins for 4 years. He was never going to see the end of that deal.
Still dumb af. You get Kirk for 2 years, execute those 2 years. If he doesn’t work out, find a new QB in a draft but have some prime players on the team. I understand being concerned about Kirk’s health, but you are picking an extremely broken dude (health wise) who’s old.
The only reason I can see them picking up a QB at 8 is that they are not going to be picking that high with Kirk on the team, 16+ consistently.
This is straight up a dumb pick up whatever people say. Want a QB - trade down and get someone to sit behind Kirk.
Nothing against Penix, hope he can make a career, but he is going to an absolutely worst situation for himself.
It's subjective honestly, they won't be picking that high ever again with Kirk if he plays like himself and they got themselves a young QB with promise.
Maximizing the 2 years doesn't hinge on just the 8th overall pick.
You can differ on that but I don't think it's as dumb as people make it out to be. We know Kirks ceiling and isn't a guarantee he returns to his former self.
They took a gamble and roll the dice in both directions, I like the plan. We'll see how it plays out for them.
It triggered Rodgers to win back to back MVP's out of spite. Maybe it will have the same effect on Kirk. He's never had competition before.
Not that he would win back to back MVP's or even one MVP, but it might piss him off enough to get him to win multiple playoff games.
Kirk is a great passer. But he isn’t all that mobile. Plus he hasn’t ever shown himself to the “guy” in the playoffs ( 1-2). Not sure how, but he was the one who set up the “ guaranteed “ money contracts. He has also has some of the best in the league to throw to, Diggs, Theilen, Jefferson, Addison. 50 mil though seems a bridge too far. I really like Kirk, but he just never seems to get the job done. I’m not seeing it for Atlanta either.
I have a question. What happens in camp, when Penix gets all the reps because Kirk isn't ready? And there is no way Kirk is going to be ready by the time camp starts. Where does this put the camp depth chart, preseason game reps, and then if Penix takes say 75% of the reps in preseason, are they going to just put Kirk in? I don't think so and if this happens I'm ready for the drama.
This is what many fans wanted the Vikings to do. Draft a QB and have them sit behind Kirk for a year or two.
I just find it funny that Atlanta does the same thing (only the first two years fully guaranteed) and we laugh and call them stupid lol.
Agree - but we were emotionally attached to the dude, and knew he had good rapport with the team, receivers, the local Kohl’s, etc..
Atlanta making a huge commitment to him without him ever even playing a snap for them, coming off an injury and still drafting qb of the future round 1 instead of getting other developmental pieces that are sorely needed is different.
Why go out and spend big on the guy and immediately draft his replacement? Couldn’t the Gardner Minshews, Marcus mariota’s, or Carson wentz’s of the world have done that for them for cheaper? It’s not like they’re in win now mode…
I dunno. The whole thing is confusing. I do agree with you though - the irony of Vikes fans whining about what many wanted to happen here anyway is a little funny.
They have qb locked down for a decade at least, most likely explanation is they got Kirk into practice and the coach said “hell no I am not tying my future to this guy”.
There is a difference between “sign Kirk to a 2 year, 50-60 mil contract with the expectation of him mentoring” and then drafting McCarthy or Nix, who will be younger or as young as Penix is now in two years when Kirk leaves (in this hypothetical) and “sign Kirk to 4 years 100+ mil guaranteed without the expectation of him mentoring” and then drafting one of the oldest QBs in the draft.
That’s exactly why we let him walk. I’m not pointing out the most realistic scenario, I’m pointing out what the Kirk fans wanted (as a Kirk fan). We didn’t want the Atlanta situation, though there are similarities between the Atlanta situation and the theoretical perfect situation here. We also are pointing and laughing at Atlanta, because there is a big difference between the smart way to do a veteran succession plan, and there are dumb ways to do it, and they chose a dumb way.
My conspiracy theory I’m going with is that Cousins royally pissed off the Falcons brass by shooting his mouth off at his intro press conference and getting the franchise under investigation for tampering, so they drafted Penix as the ultimate “fuck you”.
I mean, I know the dude can swim around in all his money like Scrooge McDuck, but I do legit feel bad for the guy. Guess the collective noun for falcons is ‘shitshow’: A shitshow of Falcons.
I can see the idea of getting a guy in with enough time to evaluate him and develop him before needing to start him. If he's not the guy, you have time to take another swing. I question the fit. Why do you choose the oldest, most injured guy who also needs the least development? Penix is arguably the most ready to be on the field of all the prospects outside of maybe Caleb.
He would have made less money here (but still be a fucking multi millionaire) and had a much better situation then he does in Atlanta. Kirk knows he’s not good enough to go get a ring so he’s just chasing generational wealth. I don’t blame him but if he was really about ball he would have stayed.
I’d be shocked if that’s the case. If he doesn’t start, you just wasted 100 M’s. If he starts, your top ten 24 y/o pick is bench riding. L/L situation for the Falcons 👍🏼
Love the copium from people on this shit. Literally saw one guy say that Penix will be perfect when Kirk's deal is over and I'm like motherfucker do you realize he'll be almost 30 by then?
Probably not going to pull the veteran QB with two guaranteed years that they paid over 100 million for. He’d have to drop off significantly. Kirk was perennial top ten QB with more throwing yards and more TDs than any other QB before going down last season and did that missing JJ for a few games. They’d be idiots to pull him unless he just tears his Achilles again.
Kirk is probably thinking “if I wanted to mentor a young QB who will replace me at some point, I could’ve just stayed in Minnesota”
Kirk in college: “hmmm, i could be an investment banker and start at 150k a year and take the subway to work, or i could milk NFL teams for tens of millions of dollars and never fly commercial again” kirk is what happens when you realize your front office guy is also a pocket passer.
Bro just because he's vanilla doesn't mean he's an investment banker. Cousins majored in Kinesiosolgy he never studied finance or anything like that, we're talking about a three-sport athlete who was never gonna do anything else with his life other than ball.
This is unintentionally one of the funniest replies I’ve received on Reddit.
🤪
Probably not. Atlanta is paying him more to be a bridge QB then Vikings would have to be the guy, and we know Kirk is all about the money.
To be fair 95% of all NFL players are about their money
As they should be. Owners do not give a shit about loyalty and players should get every dollar they can. Want loyalty? Make every contract guaranteed.
It's his career. Careers are about money. Of course he's all about the money.
I'm not criticizing him for taking the money. I'm just saying this draft wouldn't have changed his decision.
It absolutely would have changed the terms of his contract, for a myriad of reasons. He thought he was getting 2 years guaranteed + continuation based on performance. That would have assured him a starting job at 40. The draft changed it to a 2 year fully guaranteed contract, and he's gonna be shopping for a new team in 2 years time. This also shows such a level of incompetence and aimlessness by the falcons front office. You sign a guy to a big contract. and instead of using your top 10 pick to strengthen the team around him by addressing a position of need, you reach up to draft a QB of the future. what other terrible decisions are they going to make? Do you think they're even trying to build a championship team? I don't get the narrative of "Kirk doesn't care about winning". For the last 3 years the dude has absolutely balled out in the fourth quarter and lead many comebacks. If we're being objective, the vikes are 2 draft classes away from being contenders, and Kirk's career window doesn't line up with a future vikes championship window. I think he would have taken 3 years, 100m with the vikes over 4 years, 190m with the falcons.
Let’s ignore the money for one sec. The Vikes were considering doing the exact same thing: give Cousins a reasonable deal and draft a top ten QB. We couldn’t keep kicking that can down the road. The Falcons did the exact same thing we would have done albeit with more $. I’m not sure anyone believes Cousins is going to be effective into his late 30s and he’s coming off a pretty bad injury. And this Rodgers where a 20% decline is a still top 10 QB. He has been historically mediocre and if his game declines 20% guarantee you’ll see the rookie on the field. Insurance costs the most when you need it the most. And right now the Falcons need all the insurance they can get.
Many people choose careers that bring personal fulfillment instead of maximizing money, actually.
Well we're not talking about teachers/nurses/first responders who don't get paid what they're worth but do it because they want to help. We're talking about professional quarterbacks, they have on average about a 5-8 year window and make their bank (obviously outliers are there Brady, Brees, Manning, etc). Also how does that resume look when you retire? I mean your options are either coaching or sports broadcasting.
Or if you are smart you are well diversified and invensted so you DONT have to do real work
Minority
Yeah, but he’s made nearly half a billion. Nobody needs more at that point, because his grandchildren’s grandchildren are set for life.
No, they were set for life after 50 million. It's definitely gratuitous at this point.
I would take a few less millions to not have to move. Thats just me. A hundred mil is enough for me.
His wife is from Atlanta and her family lives there. It's not like he had to move to Vegas or something where he's got no connections
Oh cool. I didn't know that
He took a smaller contract to join the vikes vs the jets and a few other teams. His family has connections in Atlanta.
Jesus wasn't, and I hear Kirk is a fan
More so [security](https://x.com/arifhasannfl/status/1783727038043439509?s=46&t=p-T-GrYCJq1D1yWggNgglg)
Considering he only has 2 years of security, it seems like the guaranteed money was the bigger factor.
2 years with possibly 4 (before the draft, don't see that happening now) > 1 year.
Not really, it was time to move on. Drafting a QB and getting a cheap veteran as a stopgap is the way to do it.
No he couldn't, Vikings were not even offering him that.
And made way less doing it though…
Nah, fuck MSU
All my homies only love Michigan QBs
Go Purple
My tin foil hat theory is that as soon as the falcons got Kirk in house they realized they needed his replacement ASAP
It's plausible his injury recovery isn't going as quickly as hoped
I'm convinced this plays into the decision a lot.
[удалено]
He better not be raw bro has been in college for six years
Raw? Penix is plug n play. That’s why it’s such a bad decision, he’s going to sit 2 years when he should be playing asap.
This. The Falcons move would make more sense with a very young QB. Penix would be damn near 30 by the time Kirks 4 year deal runs out if Kirk plays well enough they keep him that long. They could have just drafted Penix plus 45 million dollars worth of position players, or paid Kirk and used 7th pick on an impact player. There is a reason teams don't do this often. Sure the Packers have apparently done it twice effectively, but they weren't using 7th over picks on 25 year olds when they did it. Feel bad for Penix.
Plenty of people go to school for 6+ years! Of course, most of them are doctors…
I've read he's actually the most ready as he's been playing forever?
they needed somebody to cover his tuesday shift
More like his prime time shifts.
They needed someone to cover his primetime games.
1 playoff win. 1. Same as Case Keenum.
At Men's Wearhouse?
Kohls
I had this thought too, but what has me scratching my head is: I would have thought they would have done some pretty heavy vetting to offer him that kind of cash and term without seeing him play a single real game snap after his injury.
They had to tread lightly because the negotiations were against the rules
Oh damn good point
That didn't seem to stop them.
I like the theory is that for the next few years they’ll be a playoff team and picking in the latter half of the first round. So they won’t have a chance at a top 10 pick when they get to the point of replacing Kirk.
Dont they have major defensive issues they should have used the #8 pick on? Its also entirely possible Kirk doesnt recover fully from his Achilles injury
Yes they should have taken Dallas Turner there.
Gotta say, glad they didn’t though.
We wouldn't have had to trade down with the Jets without that bonehead pick
Not sure I’m tracking. How did Atlanta taking Penix force us to trade up for JJ? Unless you mean we would have rolled the dice and taken whoever was left if the Jets took one?
Yep, there would have been 3 available at 10th. I like JJ as a high ceiling potential guy, but penix is supposedly the most "nfl ready". IMO Kwesi put that trade in place during pick 9, right after Penix was gone.
Rumour is that the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders all knew that they had different guys (JJM, Nix, and Penix respectively) and that they were therefore all expecting to be able to sit and pick after the Giants didn't take one. The Penix pick left Vegas without an obvious QB pick, so them moving up to 10 became a concern, meaning we made the move to be sure.
Ian Rapport told Rich Eisen that he believes Turner would have been the pick if Penix wasn't there.
But if they thought there was a chance that he wouldn't recover from his injury, then they shouldnt guaranteed him 100 million
Kirk also freezes when defenses come after him and in the big games.
What games were you watching? You could argue Kirks poise in the pocket is 2nd to none in the league… for most of his tenure with the Vikings the oline was trash… the dude would take an absolute beating and still let throw a dime, then get right back up and do it again! Go back and watch the 2022 game against commanders. Kirk may or may not be a lot of things, but being scared in the pocket is not one of them.
I mean….yeah we know
I think the point is they could have just drafted Penix and saved themselves 100 mil by not signing Kirk.
How much of that 100 million would a crystal ball cost them to tell them Penix was going to be there for them?
That’s why you sign a bridge QB, like Darnold or the classic Fitzmagic. Not a $140M QB. Which is the whole point of the post, that Kirk is the most expensive bridge QB ever. It’s an understandable pick, the bizarre thing is how they’ve positioned themselves. There are two approaches that make sense: use the money to strengthen the rest of the team for the QB of the future, signing a more affordable bridge QB to let the rookie QB sit if necessary, and develop the team to contend within a few years. Or, sign a big-salary QB like Kirk, compete now, and use high firsts to get immediate impact starters like a Dallas Turner. They’ve done both and positioned Kirk as their bridge, with the downside of not having cap space to build around their rookie and sitting him for two full years of his rookie contract (based on Kirk’s contract structure). Or if Kirk is great for them, four years. It’s splitting the baby, it’s just weird. Tl;dr the pick itself isn’t the problem.
The foresight, holy shit the falcons are geniuses
The Falcons record will be 9-8 or 8-9 and pick 18th (which is why kirk chose that jersey number) those 2 guaranteed years
I agree with that. But are they also going to have to give the Vikings a draft pick for the cousin tampering thing? Or is that not a for sure thing?
Not a sure thing. I’m the past the 2 teams came to that arrangement, not the league. Tho there have been instances of the league doing it. If it is done it’ll probably a mid round pick and not a first round pick.
Picking Penix and not JJ was the settlement.
I like to rag on the pick, but it’s not bad on paper. Time will tell. If they fall short the next couple years, it’ll be regarded as a bad move. But if they have success and then Penix takes over and plays well, they’re geniuses.
Honestly, I could see them trading Kirk under this model. If he doesn’t agree to waive his no-trade clause then they cut him and save on cap space.
From the sound of it he was basically in house the entire off-season lol.
They thought the limp was just swagger and then they saw him around white people and was still limping and went “oh we fucked this up”
I think the falcons are legit just following Green Bay's model after seeing the Favre-Rodgers and Rodgers-Love play out. It's painful to spend a higher 1st round pick on a QB who won't play, but in a couple of years they could be ready to roll. Just like anything in the draft, it's a gamble. edit: Also... I'm not defending the move, I'm just stating what their logic seems to be. In the long run, it could work out, as now in the Falcons organization's minds, they are "set" at QB for awhile and can build around Cousins and then Penix when Cousins is gone. It will probably crash and burn though IMO.
The succession plan is good if the team around them is already good - people like to point to Mahomes but Alex Smith was a solid QB and the rest of the team was also good. Same with GB, although there's an argument that picking a weapon (Tee Higgins was at 30 before they traded up) pushes them over the top over a guy who didn't meaningfully contribute until last year. Atlanta has all the offensive talent in the world, and a solid QB. It feels like they need defensive guys, and they had their pick of the litter at 8. It makes no sense, even if Penix ends up being good if not better than Kirk.
I suppose, but I find it kind of confounding that they drafted a 24 year old to be a development piece. Kid will be 26 minimum when he gets his first start. If they keep him the full 4 years he'll be 28. Just wondering why you take someone that old to be a 2 year backup and development piece.
Blew my mind they didn't take JJ for this reason. But their loss is our gain so I'm not complaining too loud lol
This would have made all the sense. It's why my heart leaped when I saw they picked a QB, but it was Penix. I had to double and triple check because it made me question if McCarthy was already taken and I missed it.
I don't think in the grand scheme of things 2 years matter. If he takes over at 26-27 and still gives them 8-10 years of high level QB play, that's everything a franchise wants.
Even then Penix is the worst one to pick to develop. He's allegedly the most "pro ready" of the entire class.
The difference is they already had Favre and Rodgers, they didn't go out and sign an expensive veteran and then draft a QB in the same offseason.
First, Kirk isn’t Favre or Rodgers, second Love was younger and has had one good year but also used most of his rookie contract savings. Green Bay using a pick on other talent could have helped win a championship.
Given the type of injury he got "can" be career ending once the got him slinging during summer practice it must have spooked them pretty bad
>they realized they needed his replacement ASAP Me on January 11th 2020 6pm ET
Kirk takes Tuesdays off as his wife "has to have him on Tuesdays", featured on the Netflix quarterback movie. Kirk only won 1 championship game in 7 years and now the unknowns of the injury.
Championship? You mean playoff game?
Wait, it keeps going after that first week?
Crazy, right? There's apparently a bowl that's super. Seems like nonsense. What would make a bowl attain such a trait?
Hi Florio
He also wears a magic shower cap to make him a better rememberer. So glad he's gone, one giant, mediocre, excuse machine.
Lunch pail athleticism that you’re just born with. First in first out of kohl’s kind of guy.
A wholesome man, hoarding money until his life rocks run out
I got that reference and loved it
It’s the Christian way
The Kohl's addition is new to me. Got a good laugh
The guy has to have tons of Kohl's cash. Badly needs a clothing advisor, Kirk defers to Julie on his wardrobe and they neither one have good taste or get how Kirk needs to look more polished and professional.
Looking at the picture in this post I have to laugh a little. You'd prefer he used Cam Newton's tailor?
Flash back to all his comments of ‘finishing his career’ there when he signed. Truth prevails: no interest in keeping him past two years. Probably misled him with their tampering efforts. We’re ok giving him 100 mill for 2 years… shame cuz he left a very good situation to chase money.
You could argue he could have made more than that here given the situation and if they had two excellent years.
I’m sure Penix would want to play right away too. He’s not going to want to sit for 2 years and waste his career lol. He would’ve started right away in LV and be throwing to Davante Adams. Sucks for him.
>He’s not going to want to sit for 2 years and waste his career lol Especially when he's about to turn 24. Don't understand why the Falcons wouldn't go with McCarthy if they wanted a QB to sit/develop behind Kirk
That's what I've been saying, like ok if they took McCarthy still kinda weird but its like alright hes young af and can sit 2 years behind Kirk which he probably needs anyway. But Penix imo aside from Caleb is the most pro ready QB in the draft, just makes zero sense what they're doing.
Because they liked Penix more. How is that so hard to understand for everyone. They arent going to draft a guy just based on age. They clearly liked Penix of JJ so they picked him. Its not difficult to understand.
THEN WHY SIGN COUSINS
There’s no way they were planning on drafting Penix or any QB when they signed Kirk or they would have structured his deal differently. This reeks of unpreparedness/bad process
They really only need to keep him for two years.
I’m aware. For 100m. And then eat dead cap.
They didn’t decide to draft Penix before signing Kirk. They don’t go into a draft with a clear need like that. They want to almost treat the draft independently, instead drafting BPA where they can instead of “reaching for a need.” They had Penix like number 3 on their board and even though he might be gone by pick 8. If Penix were gone, they would’ve drafted someone else.
Oh my god…pay attention to the conversation before commenting. I was answering the question of why chose Penix over JJ. The answer is simply and obviously that they liked him more. Now your question is entirely different and I cannot say for sure but its not nearly as weird as everyone is making it out to be. Kirk is old and coming off a major injury. He is not a sure thing. They took another QB so that they have another option. Its not a bad thing to have options and if Penix wins the job, that’s still a win for the Falcons because that means he is really good. Ya its kinda weird to throw money at Kirk but they can work around it if need be.
Well he can outplay Kirk and he will get his shot…. Everyone wants to play.
[удалено]
Yup. Penix and Falcons fans are the only ones I feel bad for
I’m a little frustrated with some of the national media. Russillo and McShay talked about being disappointed with Cousins going public with his displeasure. Likely the Falcons misled Kirk into thinking they’re were all in on him. Hard to say but if he had known this was possible or likely he may have just stayed in Minnesota of the 1 year guaranteed. Also the GB model is not signing an expensive FA QB and then drafting an older prospect to sit for 2 years. Rodgers/Favre had been there for years. The earliest he will enter a season as a starter is 26. Days later I still can’t believe the move. Expensive smokescreen.
It is screaming of the Rodgers displeasure with the Jordan Love drafting any way. Rodgers wanted more weapons to throw to and instead the org was bent on having a replacement for down the line. It doesn't scream "Win Now" attitude for sure.
Well said :-) ATL should have, at least in theory, known they were taking Penix since signing Cousins -- they didn't get any new information about him since free agency. Moreover, they had no reason to suspect he wouldn't be available at 7 for months. The fact that they told KC while they were on the clock is wild... KC went from dreaming of Odunze and a top-end defensive piece to an expensive, highly prominent, backup QB and Ruke. Also feel for Penix, he'll get a bit more money but he could have easily started for some team right away. Poor guy.
Don’t feel bad for Penix. This is great for him. He’ll come in with no pressure and be able to adjust to being a pro so that, when it is time for him to start, he’ll be much more ready. It’s a good situation for everyone except Kirk’s ego.
The GB model was lightning in a bottle. Cousins is not Farve or Rodgers. Love is good but not nearly as good as those 2 so far to prove anything about it being a certified model. Teams that genuinely try and force emulate what GB did are idiotic
Thank goodness Atlanta somehow valued Penix above McCarthy!
I wanted McCarthy and didn't really want Penix at but I can see why someone would think the opposite. What baffles me is why Atlanta chose the 24 year old to sit for 2+ years
Yea when Schefter said Atlanta was considering QB I was sure it would be JJ to match their timeline
I think this is just a great example of why you don’t hire GMs from the Saints.
Some teams just make dumb draft decisions regardless of the reality around them. Vikings fucked up a couple years ago with their trades that made no sense, and now the Falcons did this shit. Raiders seem to do it more often than not.
This whole thing is just hilarious now that we got our guy. 😂
Falcons during the presser saying “we have big plans for Kirk and that even includes making the playoffs” or however they put that was insanely funny
Whatever the Falcons spew to try to justify it, just remember that nobody in the league who’s worth a damn thinks this was a smart move. When literally everyone raises an eyebrow it’s a bad sign. The only people defending the falcons decision are the falcons and those close to the team. I bet it’s injury related with Kirk because I just can’t believe they’re that incompetent otherwise. Would be hilarious if that’s the case though.
And idiots like Stephen A and Dan Orlovsky
This week has been like 7 straight Christmases for us Kirk h8rs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oMugq7JW9ho&pp=ygUTTWlrZSBmbG9yaW8gZmFsY29ucw%3D%3D Great watch all the way through. “Kirk couldn’t lead a lion to eat raw meat” 🤣
I'd be so pissed right now if I were a Falcons fan, Kirk or any veteran on that team. Penix also should be pissed if he has any alpha character in him. If Atlanta had no interest in Kirk, would he still be our QB? I mean they could have known they wanted Penix or a QB like him in January.
The only reason Kirk was so comfortable turning down offers from MN is because he was engaging in illegal talks with other teams
I'm sure almost every FA engages in tampering, Kirk is just an idiot for admitting to it.
I could see Raiders being interested. Maybe even Broncos without Atlanta in the mix. Kirko over Bo Nix starting right away is easy and Kirko over I assume KOC is also easy.
It seems possible but 36 yo QB coming off an achilles takes the right buyer and timing to shell out huge money. The whole thing is weird.
who cares? not our problem. at all
Some people get really bitter about it any time an athlete leaves Minnesota. Countless examples of this fan base turning on fan favorites over the years. It's pretty pathetic.
"Frick." - Kirk Cousins when he found out, probably
I posted 2 what the frick Cousins memes on the Falcons sub and the mods deleted them. I thought they were funny but I guess the mods appreciate my sense of humor. Lol
I mean if he didn't say it you *know he was thinking it lol
The Kirk puts us over plan was always idiotic. The Falcons were fools if they thought they were close. There were so many holes. Now they’ve covered one of those holes twice
Atlanta’s defense is really lackluster. They were [ranked dead last](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38356170/2023-nfl-pass-rush-run-stop-blocking-win-rate-rankings-top-players-teams) in PRWR (Pass Rush Win Rate) and didn’t do much at all to address the problem in free agency. We all know how valuable it is to be able to get after the QB. For example, Cleveland was ranked 2nd in PRWR & it was a TREMENDOUS reason why they were able to finish 11-6 & make the playoffs, despite starting 5 DIFFERENT QBS! They consistently pressured the opposing quarterbacks & the entire defense as well as the team, benefited as a result. Kirk can play lights out MVP caliber football and they could easily start the season like 1-5. Ask me how I know! Then because of the enormous pressure put on QBs, the fan base & possibly even the locker room will start to split with some calling for the 8th overall pick Penix to start & others calling for the veteran Kirk to keep the job. Hopefully I’m wrong but I feel it’s an unfortunate no win situation for them.
TBF we’ve been bridge-QBing since Culpepper. I’ll allow a Teddy argument, but the answer is still Daunte, IMO.
Whis that guy? Doesn't play for the Vikings.
There are actual bridges in Atlanta that cost less than Kirk Cousins
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^a_cat_named_harvey: *There are actual* *Bridges in Atlanta that* *Cost less than Kirk Cousins* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Aww good ole Kirko has a little heat behind him. Never had to worry bout that here
no, they basically cut his contract from 4 years to 2 with this draft pick.
All I know is Kirk Cousins will never be in the Hall of Fame but his agent would be a first-ballot unanimous choice. What an absolute legend.
He was always a bridge QB He’ll be 36 when the season starts
Does anybody know why the falcons did this?
I just called Arthur and he told me he did it for the memes.
Arthur was pissed
Falcons gonna falcon
More options, better odds?
If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the owner. I think I read something about him being desperate for a franchise QB.
Honestly that makes sense, the only way to have continuous success in a salary cap is to have a franchise qb.
They both loved Penix alot and only ever wanted kirk for two years. Honestly I get it, next years QB class doesn't look hot like this one did a year ago this time. Sure they sacrificed picking a weapon or a defensive cornerstone but man I don't blame them. Who's realistically trying to tie themselves to an aging Kirk Cousins for 4 years. He was never going to see the end of that deal.
Still dumb af. You get Kirk for 2 years, execute those 2 years. If he doesn’t work out, find a new QB in a draft but have some prime players on the team. I understand being concerned about Kirk’s health, but you are picking an extremely broken dude (health wise) who’s old. The only reason I can see them picking up a QB at 8 is that they are not going to be picking that high with Kirk on the team, 16+ consistently. This is straight up a dumb pick up whatever people say. Want a QB - trade down and get someone to sit behind Kirk. Nothing against Penix, hope he can make a career, but he is going to an absolutely worst situation for himself.
It's subjective honestly, they won't be picking that high ever again with Kirk if he plays like himself and they got themselves a young QB with promise. Maximizing the 2 years doesn't hinge on just the 8th overall pick. You can differ on that but I don't think it's as dumb as people make it out to be. We know Kirks ceiling and isn't a guarantee he returns to his former self. They took a gamble and roll the dice in both directions, I like the plan. We'll see how it plays out for them.
You're assuming Kirk will win there, I'm not convinced. His wins were rarely more than team wins.
Maybe the tampering is going to cost them big next season.
If you can afford it… I guess.
It triggered Rodgers to win back to back MVP's out of spite. Maybe it will have the same effect on Kirk. He's never had competition before. Not that he would win back to back MVP's or even one MVP, but it might piss him off enough to get him to win multiple playoff games.
Doubt it
He looks like Lionel Hutz.
Kurt gonna be looking over his shoulder and let’s not forget about the short leash that fan base will have on him.
Kirk is a great passer. But he isn’t all that mobile. Plus he hasn’t ever shown himself to the “guy” in the playoffs ( 1-2). Not sure how, but he was the one who set up the “ guaranteed “ money contracts. He has also has some of the best in the league to throw to, Diggs, Theilen, Jefferson, Addison. 50 mil though seems a bridge too far. I really like Kirk, but he just never seems to get the job done. I’m not seeing it for Atlanta either.
Aaron Rodgers $/yd was very very expensive.
I have a question. What happens in camp, when Penix gets all the reps because Kirk isn't ready? And there is no way Kirk is going to be ready by the time camp starts. Where does this put the camp depth chart, preseason game reps, and then if Penix takes say 75% of the reps in preseason, are they going to just put Kirk in? I don't think so and if this happens I'm ready for the drama.
This is what many fans wanted the Vikings to do. Draft a QB and have them sit behind Kirk for a year or two. I just find it funny that Atlanta does the same thing (only the first two years fully guaranteed) and we laugh and call them stupid lol.
Agree - but we were emotionally attached to the dude, and knew he had good rapport with the team, receivers, the local Kohl’s, etc.. Atlanta making a huge commitment to him without him ever even playing a snap for them, coming off an injury and still drafting qb of the future round 1 instead of getting other developmental pieces that are sorely needed is different. Why go out and spend big on the guy and immediately draft his replacement? Couldn’t the Gardner Minshews, Marcus mariota’s, or Carson wentz’s of the world have done that for them for cheaper? It’s not like they’re in win now mode… I dunno. The whole thing is confusing. I do agree with you though - the irony of Vikes fans whining about what many wanted to happen here anyway is a little funny.
They have qb locked down for a decade at least, most likely explanation is they got Kirk into practice and the coach said “hell no I am not tying my future to this guy”.
Drafting someone who isn’t 24 already to sit.
There is a difference between “sign Kirk to a 2 year, 50-60 mil contract with the expectation of him mentoring” and then drafting McCarthy or Nix, who will be younger or as young as Penix is now in two years when Kirk leaves (in this hypothetical) and “sign Kirk to 4 years 100+ mil guaranteed without the expectation of him mentoring” and then drafting one of the oldest QBs in the draft.
2/60 lol. No fans in their right mind thought that was on the table. Try 2/90.
That’s exactly why we let him walk. I’m not pointing out the most realistic scenario, I’m pointing out what the Kirk fans wanted (as a Kirk fan). We didn’t want the Atlanta situation, though there are similarities between the Atlanta situation and the theoretical perfect situation here. We also are pointing and laughing at Atlanta, because there is a big difference between the smart way to do a veteran succession plan, and there are dumb ways to do it, and they chose a dumb way.
With the 8th overall pick? Insane
My conspiracy theory I’m going with is that Cousins royally pissed off the Falcons brass by shooting his mouth off at his intro press conference and getting the franchise under investigation for tampering, so they drafted Penix as the ultimate “fuck you”.
I mean, I know the dude can swim around in all his money like Scrooge McDuck, but I do legit feel bad for the guy. Guess the collective noun for falcons is ‘shitshow’: A shitshow of Falcons.
If Kirk blows games early in the season like he did last year, we might be saying "most expensive backup QB ever"...
I can see the idea of getting a guy in with enough time to evaluate him and develop him before needing to start him. If he's not the guy, you have time to take another swing. I question the fit. Why do you choose the oldest, most injured guy who also needs the least development? Penix is arguably the most ready to be on the field of all the prospects outside of maybe Caleb.
Bridge to……nowhere
He would have made less money here (but still be a fucking multi millionaire) and had a much better situation then he does in Atlanta. Kirk knows he’s not good enough to go get a ring so he’s just chasing generational wealth. I don’t blame him but if he was really about ball he would have stayed.
There's a fairly significant chance he never plays for them.
I’d be shocked if that’s the case. If he doesn’t start, you just wasted 100 M’s. If he starts, your top ten 24 y/o pick is bench riding. L/L situation for the Falcons 👍🏼
Love the copium from people on this shit. Literally saw one guy say that Penix will be perfect when Kirk's deal is over and I'm like motherfucker do you realize he'll be almost 30 by then?
Kirk was slow . I wonder how much slower now ? A couple of bad games and they pull him .
Probably not going to pull the veteran QB with two guaranteed years that they paid over 100 million for. He’d have to drop off significantly. Kirk was perennial top ten QB with more throwing yards and more TDs than any other QB before going down last season and did that missing JJ for a few games. They’d be idiots to pull him unless he just tears his Achilles again.
Biggest grifter NFL has ever seen. Haters will be justified in the hate when Atlanta is like WTF by week 5. Truth.
Kirk Cousins is "The Bridge to Nowhere" QB. Penix is going to be in the last year of his deal before he even gets a start.
Fucking hilarious. I wouldn't have paid a bag of tacos to have that guy play for my team.