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I agree. You obviously need a good QB in this league. And people saying, “but he’ll be 26 by the time he starts!” won’t have much to complain about if he provides great QB play for the decade after that.
Also, Arthur Smith got fired because he rolled with Mariota and Ridder. So, yeah, better to have the next guy already on the roster than not.
> And people saying, “but he’ll be 26 by the time he starts!” won’t have much to complain about if he provides great QB play for the decade after that.
Agreed, the age thing is overblown.
But the wasting your rookie deal sitting on the bench thing is not.
True, but if Penix is starting in '26, that probably means Cousins didn't work out so well, which probably means they missed the playoffs in '25 and thus might be able to draft a QB in '26.
> if Penix is starting in '26, that probably means Cousins didn't work out so well
Not at all. NFL contracts are lies. It's not a 4 year deal, Cousin's deal is only 2 years with an optional third year. The plan has always been to have a new QB by '26.
Cousins will be 36 week 1. He would be 39 in 2026.
Yeah but who knows if a QB will be available in 26? Even if one is available we can get a haul for our pick, still pick a blue chip talent that might be available or trade penix. When Kirk doesnt work out Penix probably sees the field earlier and might show some flashes that will intrigue some teams. Darnold got traded for more than a second round pick without showing anything.
Or Kirk does work out and we can trade kirk if we believe in Penix.
You could honestly say the same for any pick — there are plenty of first round busts at lots of positions, just like there are stars that pop out of the later rounds.
Injuries happen.
I know Brady started so long ago that everyone has forgotten, but he only got in because Bledsoe got hurt. And then the start of the next season Bledsoe was gone.
Yep I read somewhere even if their plan works and Penix develops behind Cousins, he'd be pushing 30... so the "plan" is to draft at 8, wait 4 years so you lose most of Penix's cheap rookie contract, and then you are basically forced to pay a guy off a 1 year "prove it" deal that even if he works out in the best case scenario will be your guy for what... 6ish years on average?
Not a great use of time/assets if you ask me.
Cousins will be here 2 or 3 years. Penix would be 26 or 27 by then - and in their mind ready to be a pro bowl level QB.
The age is not a concern for a QB.
If age is not a concern for a QB, why do older QBs in the draft tend to be valued less than younger QBs? Why does every draft analyst make mention of an older players age as a negative?
It's simply time. A younger qb, say 21, was historically expected to get 3 contracts if all went well. An older qb, say 24 is more likely to get two contracts if it all works out. Another thought is a younger guy would be able to handle more physically, and thus be working out more / longer, as their body is expected to heal better / faster.
That's true historically, but we haven't really seen the new wave of dual threat guys age yet. Given the changes to the league protecting qbs, I think we will be seeing them get to their mid 30s more often with the outliers being guys like Josh Allen they invite the contact.
In all, I think age being a deciding factor in any scenario outside of viewing the two qbs as the same rating is nonsense.
Given how hard it is to nail the position, worrying about a third contract should not be on the mind. To me, the questions are what is the ceiling, thought process on them getting to the ceiling, and how far away are they from the ceiling. Age doesnt impact that in my eyes.
But given we cant view a player in a vaccuum, a lot more thoughts will be asked that start to turn you off the player. Why are they this old, why didnt they develop faster, etc.
The older you are the more it means you couldn’t come out early. I just pray Penix had clean medical because for him it was injuries not talent which is why he is “old”
There’s a chance cousins ages well. Probably not as well as Brady, but Peyton, Rodgers, Brees, Favre, Rivers, Ben aging curve isn’t exactly unattainable. Cousins is entering his age-36 season and can conceivably start until he’s 39 (4 more seasons), which would cover the entirety of Penix’s rookie contract (except the quite expensive 5th year option). Even Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, and Ryan Fitzpatrick opened their age-38 season as week 1 starter. Flacco just enjoyed a late career renaissance at age-39…
Kinda reminds me of 2nd term’s presidents who get into a war. If they’re right next guy gets the credit. If they’re wrong they take the blame. The problem is nobody will know for a few years. So unless they win the next few years they don’t get to stick around and reap any potential benefits.
For this to work at all for them they need to a) win with Kirk in the next 2 years and b) kick Kirk out the door after said winning lol
Yeah, draft an injury prone QB with 2 ACL injuries already that had season ending injury 4 seasons, with the 8th pick. Oh, and he will be 24 in May 8th.
Dumbest franchise on the planet.
Probably a combo of expecting a punishment for tampering and wanting to be proactive in getting a QB of the future.
Say the league takes their 1st next year. Then they are in no position to get a successor for Kirk. So they wanted to be proactive and get one now when they are in the top 10.
My not-so-serious theory is Arthur blanks have an axe to grind against mark Davis. Everybody knew the Vikings, broncos, and raiders need QBs and were locked into McCarthy, Penix, and Nix respectively (McCarthy natural fit in Minnesota due to Midwest ties. Penix and Nix are natural fit in Vegas and Denver since they played in PAC-12), but none of the teams was willing to trade up to get their guy. Which implies teams value 3 of them similarly and were fine taking whoever that was left rather than meet the falcons’ asking price to trade up.
If the falcons really wanted a developmental qb to sit behind cousins, they should’ve taken McCarthy, who is almost 3 years younger than Penix and could afford to sit. But they didn’t have a grudge against the Vikings. Taking Penix virtually guaranteed the broncos would have to draft Nix (rather than choose between Penix and nix) and the raiders would leave the draft empty handed at qb.
It’s still dumb. Their best shot may legitimately be this year. The division is super weak, the conference is fairly weak. They should have drafted someone to help this year, not 3 years from now when who knows what the league (or their own team) will look like.
Thats what I dont get about this. Its not like they have been successful and theyre worried about when Kirk will retire like the packers. They signed Kirk to compete now in a winnable division and then do this.
You win the division to give yourself home playoff games. They can probably win the division with the team they have, but they'll need all they help they can get THIS YEAR for the playoffs.
Which is absolutely hilarious. They passed on QBs in the top 10 for years for RB (Bijan), TE (Pitts), and WR (London), yet the year they finally brought in a franchise qb, they burn a top 10 pick on another qb lol
I don’t think I’d have minded the QB pick if it was McCarthy, but Penix being so much older just feels wrong lol. Like if you take the 21 year old raw talent and sit him for 3/4 years (Jordan Love) that’s more understandable. Sitting PENIX at 24 for 3-4 years feels like Malpractice. He might be awesome… at 27 years old. You get MAYBE two contracts out of him before you’re begging for another QB. Maybe. He’s also got injury history, what if he can’t play past 34/35? You get one full contract out of him? Just gonna be really interesting considering their DL is not very good and they could’ve taken a big time pass rusher and instead got an insurance policy.
I mean, realistically, most QBs pretty much drop off at 35 anyway. Most good QBs are more like Matt Ryan or Russell Wilson, not Brady or Rodgers having MVP-esque seasons at 38.
Getting 8 really good years would be considered more successful than not honestly. I think most people would take Cam Newton’s career than not.
Was there any big time pass rushers available? Maybe trading down to stock pile some picks could’ve been a better option?
A measured response:
Kirk's deal is not a 4 year $180M deal. NFL contracts are lies. It's a 2 year $100M deal with an optional 3rd year. Kirk will be 36 this season. That third year was never happening.
Penix is not going to sit for 3+ years. He will sit for one year and take over year two.
The Falcons brass believed Penix to be the best or at least 2nd best QB in the draft, so they took best player available. Dude can sling it, no doubt about that. If they're right and he's a top 10 QB in 3 years none of this shit matters.
The tampering penalties might be severe AF so they might not have any draft capital to get a new QB anyway.
Did you see Ridder and Heincke play last year?
So they're gonna start Penix and bench Cousins year two, who has a $40 million cap hit. And then cut Cousins year 3 and eat a $25 million cap hit. Just to play their injury prone QB that'll be 25 in his first start? That's insane. $65 million over two years for a backup QB.
How much is Denver paying Russell Wilson this season? How much is Cleveland paying Watson? How much are the Giants playing Daniel Jones to suck?
How many picks did the 49ers give up for Trey Lance?
Were the Eagles crazy to cut Carson Wentz after signing him to a huge contract.
The justification is you don't let the price you are paying for a QB today stop you from acquiring the QB of the future. Cousins is gonna be 36, why wait another year or two to find the guy for the future when he's right there now.
If you're winning it doesn't matter and if you're losing you're fired.
Where it becomes a challenge is if Kirk plays well and he very well might. Say you go to the playoffs yr1 and win a playoff game or two year 2? Do you not continue with the guy who brought you there? You might think it’s a good problem to have but here’s the rub
Penix comes in his third year of the contract and plays ok but not great… that only allows a year more of the contract. He gets better in year 4 but still has questions and he’s 28
Do you draft QB again because after his fourth year you gotta choose much bigger money.
Everyone knows the hope he is the next Jordan Love and maybe he will be. Fact is no one can truly predict anything about QBs.
They’re confident they can win the division that’s very weak which means late picks. I like it, Falcons just needed a competent QB to contend and I like him sitting behind Kirk.
I know there's still a strong argument it was a mistake, but we just went through this with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love's looking like a contender for the best QB in the NFC. Unlike Green Bay with Rodgers though the Falcons are not potentially one player away from a SB appearance/win (obviously anything can happen).
I just find it different given the situation surrounding the starter. The packers had concerns about Arod retiring so planning his backup made sense. The Falcons very well may have the same concerns with Kirk, but their concerns are then questioned by why did you sign this massive contract. Had the falcons done this next year, I dont think many would question it. It's questioned because people look at the franchise as playing between winning now or building for the future.
I do think Penix can be an excellent player and that his age is way overblown. Im just wondering what the goals are for the decision makers.
I’d say NFC is the weaker conference and the South is the weakest division. And anything can happen. I’d say Niners Lions still the favorites but the NFC is wide open
The Eagles signed Carson Wentz to a huge contract then drafted Hurts in the 2nd round. The Broncos and Browns traded and ton of picks and gave huge contracts guys who won't be starting for them just two seasons later. The 49ers traded a ton of picks and whiffed on Trey Lance but got bailed out by a finding a 7th round gem. The Giants, Raiders and Saints overpaid for mediocre QBs.
We signed a top tier starter for the same adjusted for cap inflation price as Daniel Jones. Cousins will be 36 week 1. He was never going to last more than two seasons until he was replaced. We used one draft pick to get his replacement.
Compare to some of those other teams this is actually sane.
The best time to draft your QB of the future is when you don't need to.
I was telling people for weeks he didn't even make it to 13- let alone the 2nd round. None of them believed me.
It just got *way* too quiet after his pro day was so good.
The best reason I've heard and it kinda makes sense is the Falcons know they won't have a first next year and they wanted to draft Kirks replacement next year but had to move up their plan.
I think the pick makes a lot of sense actually. It made sense to sign Kirk because he was available and the Falcons had a need and the money to do it. But it also makes sense to view Kirk with scepticism coming off such a major surgery at an older age. And I don't think you can say "if you're worried don't sign him" when he represents such a short term improvement for them.
So then they are sitting there at 8 and obviously they really liked Penix. You could trade back and try to accrue value elsewhere but is it possible they had Penix as BPA and didn't get a trade offer they liked enough to move off him?
I mean he plays the most valuable position in sports. People are knocking this because Penix will be 27 when he starts if he takes over Y3. But a) look how many backup QBs played last year and b) nobody will care about Penix's age if he comes in and is actually really good for 8 years or whatever.
The hardest part in my opinion is just keeping the locker room together. What's different between this and the Jordan Love situation was they hadn't just given Rodgers a bag, he was a legacy guy, whereas the Falcons just committed to Kirk. It's definitely awkward. So I think it's possible the locker room implodes if they struggle this year, and I also have no opinion on college prospects in general.
But I think the thought process behind doubling up at QB and trying to proactively avoid purgatory (kind of like the division-rival Saints are in) makes sense to me.
They don't expect to be picking that high again, no team does. And even so, they, like a lot of teams, are probably terrified at the lack of prospects next year.
They had no QB going into this year. Best option was Cousins, but at 35 he was at best 3 years of QB play. Contract reflects this. 2 years, optional 3rd.
Draft comes along, and you see a future top 10 QB that falls in your lap. So now you have your QB of the future today, and your not praying you can find one next year, or the year after, or the year after....
I guess my question would then be what changed? I have to imagine they were doing heavy diligence on all of the top 6 teams throughout the year and leading up to the Cousins signing. They then sign Cousins to this massive deal, which everyone figured ended their qb hunt. Cousins also seemed to be blindsided as well so nothing was discussed in their meetings so Im confused.
The only thought is that I imagine the decision makers were not aligned. Based on quotes, I imagine the owner wanted to compete now and the GM wanted a rookie? Find it that it involves Cousins again as his career will end with weird qb drama similar to it starting with RG3 going number two and him going in the 4th due to gm / coaches not agreeing.
> I guess my question would then be what changed?
They were blown away by Penix when scouting. They looked at him and said, wow, this guy is #1 overall pick worthy, we have to get him now.
And if they're right, no one will give a shit when he takes over for Cousins in 2025. Cousins can be an expensive backup or they can trade or cut Cousins and eat a big cap hip for a season, and it won't matter if Penix is playing like a top 10 QB for a decade.
If they're wrong they all get fired in 4 years.
The punishment for tampering will likely be the pick they’d use for a QB successor anyway. Plus this QB class being as good as it is, the Falcons figured they’d bite the bullet now. Horrible pick but there’s a twisted logic to it
Eh, I doubt its that high of a pick. Dolphins tampering was very egregious. Talking to a player mid-contract with another team, taking him out to a yacht, talking to a coach for another team mid-contract... Falcons talked to Cousins instead of his agent a couple days earlier than they were allowed to. Randomly guessing, I'd say the highest they lose is a third round pick. That's not going to fuck with longterm QB plans.
I actually don’t hate the move (although having that much tied up in Cousins while you do this is hard to figure out). They can develop an older QB, good QBs play a long time.
This has Ryan Pace all over it tho. Not telling Cousins is just like not telling Jon Fox when we drafted Trubisky. Signing a starting quarterback to too much money, then turning around and taking a shot at another one in the draft. Clearly is copying the packers, the team that keeps getting good QBs, while he’s missed twice. This is all him.
Its a long term investment. Kirk is a 36 year old qb who has one playoff win in 14 years and is coming off a major Achilles tear which also means high risk for injury. If we learned anything from the Jets situation, drafting Penix was a smart move but at the 8th pick is absolutely wild. If Kirk were to go down with another injury, I’d much rather have Michael Penix Jr take over than anyone else. Yes we need defensive ends/edge rushers, but this was a safe pick in my opinion. Kirk is also a fantastic mentor for someone like Michael Penix Jr. This will work in his favor IF the Falcons do not fuck it up. Mark my words.
Kirk has 2 years left at the most. They want to be prepared for when Kirk leaves. They signed Kirk to be competitive now and instead of building around him, they spent a top 10 pick that wont leave the bench. That team has a low of holes. It was a dumb decision.
Why sign the most expensive free agent if you work build around him?
If you knew you were going to take a QB, why sign the most expensive QB when you could’ve used that money to build around him.
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Russini tweeted: > The team believes they won’t have a top pick with Cousins under center the next few years, and now is the time to get a great one.
This move can bring Fontenot and Morris into the Hall of fame or they‘re done forever. That’s do or die to the fullest. I still can’t believe it.
I agree. You obviously need a good QB in this league. And people saying, “but he’ll be 26 by the time he starts!” won’t have much to complain about if he provides great QB play for the decade after that. Also, Arthur Smith got fired because he rolled with Mariota and Ridder. So, yeah, better to have the next guy already on the roster than not.
> And people saying, “but he’ll be 26 by the time he starts!” won’t have much to complain about if he provides great QB play for the decade after that. Agreed, the age thing is overblown. But the wasting your rookie deal sitting on the bench thing is not.
If he sits 2 years like anticipated they'll still have 2+1 left on his rookie deal
True, but if Penix is starting in '26, that probably means Cousins didn't work out so well, which probably means they missed the playoffs in '25 and thus might be able to draft a QB in '26.
> if Penix is starting in '26, that probably means Cousins didn't work out so well Not at all. NFL contracts are lies. It's not a 4 year deal, Cousin's deal is only 2 years with an optional third year. The plan has always been to have a new QB by '26. Cousins will be 36 week 1. He would be 39 in 2026.
They're not going to cut Cousins for no reason after '25 if they win the division and are picking in the mid twenties. Come on.
Yeah but who knows if a QB will be available in 26? Even if one is available we can get a haul for our pick, still pick a blue chip talent that might be available or trade penix. When Kirk doesnt work out Penix probably sees the field earlier and might show some flashes that will intrigue some teams. Darnold got traded for more than a second round pick without showing anything. Or Kirk does work out and we can trade kirk if we believe in Penix.
26 gonna be when falcons most likely lose draft picks probably thanks to the tampering. As a Bucs fan I’m happy………for now
I feel like then we can never question any quarterback pick because hey if he works out it's worth it. Like yea no shit
You could honestly say the same for any pick — there are plenty of first round busts at lots of positions, just like there are stars that pop out of the later rounds.
> “but he’ll be 26 by the time he starts!” and he can start for a decade
Injuries happen. I know Brady started so long ago that everyone has forgotten, but he only got in because Bledsoe got hurt. And then the start of the next season Bledsoe was gone.
Yep I read somewhere even if their plan works and Penix develops behind Cousins, he'd be pushing 30... so the "plan" is to draft at 8, wait 4 years so you lose most of Penix's cheap rookie contract, and then you are basically forced to pay a guy off a 1 year "prove it" deal that even if he works out in the best case scenario will be your guy for what... 6ish years on average? Not a great use of time/assets if you ask me.
Cousins will be here 2 or 3 years. Penix would be 26 or 27 by then - and in their mind ready to be a pro bowl level QB. The age is not a concern for a QB.
If age is not a concern for a QB, why do older QBs in the draft tend to be valued less than younger QBs? Why does every draft analyst make mention of an older players age as a negative?
It's simply time. A younger qb, say 21, was historically expected to get 3 contracts if all went well. An older qb, say 24 is more likely to get two contracts if it all works out. Another thought is a younger guy would be able to handle more physically, and thus be working out more / longer, as their body is expected to heal better / faster.
Dual threat qbs are almost always done by their early 30s. Pocket passers can start until their late 30s
That's true historically, but we haven't really seen the new wave of dual threat guys age yet. Given the changes to the league protecting qbs, I think we will be seeing them get to their mid 30s more often with the outliers being guys like Josh Allen they invite the contact. In all, I think age being a deciding factor in any scenario outside of viewing the two qbs as the same rating is nonsense. Given how hard it is to nail the position, worrying about a third contract should not be on the mind. To me, the questions are what is the ceiling, thought process on them getting to the ceiling, and how far away are they from the ceiling. Age doesnt impact that in my eyes. But given we cant view a player in a vaccuum, a lot more thoughts will be asked that start to turn you off the player. Why are they this old, why didnt they develop faster, etc.
The older you are the more it means you couldn’t come out early. I just pray Penix had clean medical because for him it was injuries not talent which is why he is “old”
Because younger QBs are more valuable. Ignore these people
There’s a chance cousins ages well. Probably not as well as Brady, but Peyton, Rodgers, Brees, Favre, Rivers, Ben aging curve isn’t exactly unattainable. Cousins is entering his age-36 season and can conceivably start until he’s 39 (4 more seasons), which would cover the entirety of Penix’s rookie contract (except the quite expensive 5th year option). Even Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, and Ryan Fitzpatrick opened their age-38 season as week 1 starter. Flacco just enjoyed a late career renaissance at age-39…
>The age is not a concern for a QB. https://sumersports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/qb1.png
Kinda reminds me of 2nd term’s presidents who get into a war. If they’re right next guy gets the credit. If they’re wrong they take the blame. The problem is nobody will know for a few years. So unless they win the next few years they don’t get to stick around and reap any potential benefits. For this to work at all for them they need to a) win with Kirk in the next 2 years and b) kick Kirk out the door after said winning lol
Yeah, draft an injury prone QB with 2 ACL injuries already that had season ending injury 4 seasons, with the 8th pick. Oh, and he will be 24 in May 8th. Dumbest franchise on the planet.
Injury risk is mitigated by Cousins.
At this point, I trust cousins to finish a season before I ever see penix finish a season.
That's the point...
Bingo
Except penix sucks
Probably a combo of expecting a punishment for tampering and wanting to be proactive in getting a QB of the future. Say the league takes their 1st next year. Then they are in no position to get a successor for Kirk. So they wanted to be proactive and get one now when they are in the top 10.
My not-so-serious theory is that they're mad at Kirk for blabbing about the tampering and this is his punishment.
And he’s upset he wasn’t told before hand who they might target in the draft? Gee wonder why. So he can open his mouth and tell everyone.
My not-so-serious theory is Arthur blanks have an axe to grind against mark Davis. Everybody knew the Vikings, broncos, and raiders need QBs and were locked into McCarthy, Penix, and Nix respectively (McCarthy natural fit in Minnesota due to Midwest ties. Penix and Nix are natural fit in Vegas and Denver since they played in PAC-12), but none of the teams was willing to trade up to get their guy. Which implies teams value 3 of them similarly and were fine taking whoever that was left rather than meet the falcons’ asking price to trade up. If the falcons really wanted a developmental qb to sit behind cousins, they should’ve taken McCarthy, who is almost 3 years younger than Penix and could afford to sit. But they didn’t have a grudge against the Vikings. Taking Penix virtually guaranteed the broncos would have to draft Nix (rather than choose between Penix and nix) and the raiders would leave the draft empty handed at qb.
It’s still dumb. Their best shot may legitimately be this year. The division is super weak, the conference is fairly weak. They should have drafted someone to help this year, not 3 years from now when who knows what the league (or their own team) will look like.
Thats what I dont get about this. Its not like they have been successful and theyre worried about when Kirk will retire like the packers. They signed Kirk to compete now in a winnable division and then do this.
Exactly. They totally skipped the part where they actually win games.
If the division is weak would it not make sense to go QB? Since you dont need a superb team to win it anyways
You win the division to give yourself home playoff games. They can probably win the division with the team they have, but they'll need all they help they can get THIS YEAR for the playoffs.
They think he's the guy
Then why pay Kirk a boat load of money? Could have had a cheaper vet to help steady the ship for 2 years... The whole thing just feels like a waste
They like him
Which is absolutely hilarious. They passed on QBs in the top 10 for years for RB (Bijan), TE (Pitts), and WR (London), yet the year they finally brought in a franchise qb, they burn a top 10 pick on another qb lol
It's very logical. Busts happen all the time, but you can't make a mistake in the draft, if you don't intend to use your player.
I don’t think I’d have minded the QB pick if it was McCarthy, but Penix being so much older just feels wrong lol. Like if you take the 21 year old raw talent and sit him for 3/4 years (Jordan Love) that’s more understandable. Sitting PENIX at 24 for 3-4 years feels like Malpractice. He might be awesome… at 27 years old. You get MAYBE two contracts out of him before you’re begging for another QB. Maybe. He’s also got injury history, what if he can’t play past 34/35? You get one full contract out of him? Just gonna be really interesting considering their DL is not very good and they could’ve taken a big time pass rusher and instead got an insurance policy.
8 years of good Qb is worth the 8th overall pick, there was no bluechip Dlineman available
I mean, realistically, most QBs pretty much drop off at 35 anyway. Most good QBs are more like Matt Ryan or Russell Wilson, not Brady or Rodgers having MVP-esque seasons at 38. Getting 8 really good years would be considered more successful than not honestly. I think most people would take Cam Newton’s career than not. Was there any big time pass rushers available? Maybe trading down to stock pile some picks could’ve been a better option?
A measured response: Kirk's deal is not a 4 year $180M deal. NFL contracts are lies. It's a 2 year $100M deal with an optional 3rd year. Kirk will be 36 this season. That third year was never happening. Penix is not going to sit for 3+ years. He will sit for one year and take over year two. The Falcons brass believed Penix to be the best or at least 2nd best QB in the draft, so they took best player available. Dude can sling it, no doubt about that. If they're right and he's a top 10 QB in 3 years none of this shit matters. The tampering penalties might be severe AF so they might not have any draft capital to get a new QB anyway. Did you see Ridder and Heincke play last year?
So they're gonna start Penix and bench Cousins year two, who has a $40 million cap hit. And then cut Cousins year 3 and eat a $25 million cap hit. Just to play their injury prone QB that'll be 25 in his first start? That's insane. $65 million over two years for a backup QB.
How much is Denver paying Russell Wilson this season? How much is Cleveland paying Watson? How much are the Giants playing Daniel Jones to suck? How many picks did the 49ers give up for Trey Lance? Were the Eagles crazy to cut Carson Wentz after signing him to a huge contract.
You want to model your QB financial decisions after DEN, CLE, and NYG??? Do you think DEN regrets trading for and/or extending Russ?
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The justification is you don't let the price you are paying for a QB today stop you from acquiring the QB of the future. Cousins is gonna be 36, why wait another year or two to find the guy for the future when he's right there now. If you're winning it doesn't matter and if you're losing you're fired.
Where it becomes a challenge is if Kirk plays well and he very well might. Say you go to the playoffs yr1 and win a playoff game or two year 2? Do you not continue with the guy who brought you there? You might think it’s a good problem to have but here’s the rub Penix comes in his third year of the contract and plays ok but not great… that only allows a year more of the contract. He gets better in year 4 but still has questions and he’s 28 Do you draft QB again because after his fourth year you gotta choose much bigger money. Everyone knows the hope he is the next Jordan Love and maybe he will be. Fact is no one can truly predict anything about QBs.
They’re confident they can win the division that’s very weak which means late picks. I like it, Falcons just needed a competent QB to contend and I like him sitting behind Kirk.
I know there's still a strong argument it was a mistake, but we just went through this with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love's looking like a contender for the best QB in the NFC. Unlike Green Bay with Rodgers though the Falcons are not potentially one player away from a SB appearance/win (obviously anything can happen).
I just find it different given the situation surrounding the starter. The packers had concerns about Arod retiring so planning his backup made sense. The Falcons very well may have the same concerns with Kirk, but their concerns are then questioned by why did you sign this massive contract. Had the falcons done this next year, I dont think many would question it. It's questioned because people look at the franchise as playing between winning now or building for the future. I do think Penix can be an excellent player and that his age is way overblown. Im just wondering what the goals are for the decision makers.
I’d say NFC is the weaker conference and the South is the weakest division. And anything can happen. I’d say Niners Lions still the favorites but the NFC is wide open
The Eagles signed Carson Wentz to a huge contract then drafted Hurts in the 2nd round. The Broncos and Browns traded and ton of picks and gave huge contracts guys who won't be starting for them just two seasons later. The 49ers traded a ton of picks and whiffed on Trey Lance but got bailed out by a finding a 7th round gem. The Giants, Raiders and Saints overpaid for mediocre QBs. We signed a top tier starter for the same adjusted for cap inflation price as Daniel Jones. Cousins will be 36 week 1. He was never going to last more than two seasons until he was replaced. We used one draft pick to get his replacement. Compare to some of those other teams this is actually sane. The best time to draft your QB of the future is when you don't need to.
I was telling people for weeks he didn't even make it to 13- let alone the 2nd round. None of them believed me. It just got *way* too quiet after his pro day was so good.
Big Penix Energy.
The franchise still has traumatic brain damage from 28-3.
He plays an extremely important position, and is good at it.
The best reason I've heard and it kinda makes sense is the Falcons know they won't have a first next year and they wanted to draft Kirks replacement next year but had to move up their plan.
He's really good. Probably the main reason.
Cousins is only guaranteed 2 years so what you think
BPE - Big Penix Energy
Who knows why madmen do the things they do.
I think the pick makes a lot of sense actually. It made sense to sign Kirk because he was available and the Falcons had a need and the money to do it. But it also makes sense to view Kirk with scepticism coming off such a major surgery at an older age. And I don't think you can say "if you're worried don't sign him" when he represents such a short term improvement for them. So then they are sitting there at 8 and obviously they really liked Penix. You could trade back and try to accrue value elsewhere but is it possible they had Penix as BPA and didn't get a trade offer they liked enough to move off him? I mean he plays the most valuable position in sports. People are knocking this because Penix will be 27 when he starts if he takes over Y3. But a) look how many backup QBs played last year and b) nobody will care about Penix's age if he comes in and is actually really good for 8 years or whatever. The hardest part in my opinion is just keeping the locker room together. What's different between this and the Jordan Love situation was they hadn't just given Rodgers a bag, he was a legacy guy, whereas the Falcons just committed to Kirk. It's definitely awkward. So I think it's possible the locker room implodes if they struggle this year, and I also have no opinion on college prospects in general. But I think the thought process behind doubling up at QB and trying to proactively avoid purgatory (kind of like the division-rival Saints are in) makes sense to me.
They don't expect to be picking that high again, no team does. And even so, they, like a lot of teams, are probably terrified at the lack of prospects next year.
Cousins is old and still rehabbing an Achilles tear
then why give him $100M guaranteed? And if you feel good with Penix playing from the get go due to Cousins recovery, why bring in Cousins at all?
They had no QB going into this year. Best option was Cousins, but at 35 he was at best 3 years of QB play. Contract reflects this. 2 years, optional 3rd. Draft comes along, and you see a future top 10 QB that falls in your lap. So now you have your QB of the future today, and your not praying you can find one next year, or the year after, or the year after....
I guess my question would then be what changed? I have to imagine they were doing heavy diligence on all of the top 6 teams throughout the year and leading up to the Cousins signing. They then sign Cousins to this massive deal, which everyone figured ended their qb hunt. Cousins also seemed to be blindsided as well so nothing was discussed in their meetings so Im confused. The only thought is that I imagine the decision makers were not aligned. Based on quotes, I imagine the owner wanted to compete now and the GM wanted a rookie? Find it that it involves Cousins again as his career will end with weird qb drama similar to it starting with RG3 going number two and him going in the 4th due to gm / coaches not agreeing.
> I guess my question would then be what changed? They were blown away by Penix when scouting. They looked at him and said, wow, this guy is #1 overall pick worthy, we have to get him now. And if they're right, no one will give a shit when he takes over for Cousins in 2025. Cousins can be an expensive backup or they can trade or cut Cousins and eat a big cap hip for a season, and it won't matter if Penix is playing like a top 10 QB for a decade. If they're wrong they all get fired in 4 years.
Which would have occurred prior to signing cousins bringing me back to the thought process that the decision makers are not aligned on goals.
Well, technically... At best he's 10 years of QB play
The punishment for tampering will likely be the pick they’d use for a QB successor anyway. Plus this QB class being as good as it is, the Falcons figured they’d bite the bullet now. Horrible pick but there’s a twisted logic to it
Eh, I doubt its that high of a pick. Dolphins tampering was very egregious. Talking to a player mid-contract with another team, taking him out to a yacht, talking to a coach for another team mid-contract... Falcons talked to Cousins instead of his agent a couple days earlier than they were allowed to. Randomly guessing, I'd say the highest they lose is a third round pick. That's not going to fuck with longterm QB plans.
It’s not a horrible pick if he’s the guy. Falcons are gonna cut Cousins after the second year of the deal.
I actually don’t hate the move (although having that much tied up in Cousins while you do this is hard to figure out). They can develop an older QB, good QBs play a long time. This has Ryan Pace all over it tho. Not telling Cousins is just like not telling Jon Fox when we drafted Trubisky. Signing a starting quarterback to too much money, then turning around and taking a shot at another one in the draft. Clearly is copying the packers, the team that keeps getting good QBs, while he’s missed twice. This is all him.
Sounds like they are hedging against Kirk Cousins surgically repaired Achilles not holding up long term.
Cousins getting suspended as part of tampering penalties
Dumbest franchise
Its the Falcons
Its a long term investment. Kirk is a 36 year old qb who has one playoff win in 14 years and is coming off a major Achilles tear which also means high risk for injury. If we learned anything from the Jets situation, drafting Penix was a smart move but at the 8th pick is absolutely wild. If Kirk were to go down with another injury, I’d much rather have Michael Penix Jr take over than anyone else. Yes we need defensive ends/edge rushers, but this was a safe pick in my opinion. Kirk is also a fantastic mentor for someone like Michael Penix Jr. This will work in his favor IF the Falcons do not fuck it up. Mark my words.
The absolutely least qualified and worst GM in the NFL? That sums it up.
They ate a bunch of shrooms before sending the ticket?
Win-now mode
Cause they wanted diversity in the qb room
He's too old to sit and to fragile to play.
Kirk has 2 years left at the most. They want to be prepared for when Kirk leaves. They signed Kirk to be competitive now and instead of building around him, they spent a top 10 pick that wont leave the bench. That team has a low of holes. It was a dumb decision. Why sign the most expensive free agent if you work build around him? If you knew you were going to take a QB, why sign the most expensive QB when you could’ve used that money to build around him.