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Marc Raimondi
Jessie Bates III had his locker subsequent to Michael Penix Jr. final 12 months on the Atlanta Falcons facility. The previous Professional Bowl security performed in opposition to Penix most of final season in apply with the Falcons first-team protection going up in opposition to the then-rookie quarterback and the second workforce.
So, Bates acquired a firsthand view of Penix’s progress away from the highlight. Kirk Cousins was Atlanta’s starter for many of final 12 months. Now, Penix will step into that position from Week 1.
“That is QB1,” Bates mentioned earlier this month at minicamp. “He is performing prefer it, and I am excited for this 12 months.”
The elephant within the quarterback room, although, is that Cousins stays on the roster. Cousins was benched in Week 16 final season after a stretch with 9 interceptions and only one landing move in 5 video games. Penix was named the starter “transferring ahead,” which seemingly signaled that Cousins was not lengthy for Atlanta.
However, as they’ve finished usually normally supervisor Terry Fontenot’s tenure, the Falcons bucked the norm. They didn’t launch Cousins as anticipated, preferring to carry onto him because the backup somewhat than consuming his $27.5 million assured 2025 wage and getting nothing in return. The workforce even allowed Cousins’ $10 million roster bonus to kick in for 2026.
The Falcons might nonetheless commerce Cousins, who has made it clear he’d somewhat be someplace else beginning. As of now, although, it looks as if Cousins will probably be with the workforce heading into coaching camp and probably past.
So, what does that imply for the Falcons, Penix’s position as starter and Cousins himself? Let’s deal with a number of the extra urgent questions.
Will Cousins’ presence be a distraction for Penix and/or the remainder of the workforce?
Nobody within the group appears to suppose will probably be, and in the event that they do, they certainly aren’t saying it publicly. Falcons coach Raheem Morris opened up on this subject throughout minicamp, asserting that Cousins is an efficient particular person and has no intention of harming Penix and his improvement.
“He’s simply not a man that is been persistently coping with drama or [has] introduced drama upon himself,” Morris mentioned of Cousins. “Clearly, there’s been some drama. There’s all the time going to be drama if you’re speaking a couple of quarterback place. However I imply, you are still speaking a couple of high-quality particular person, an important human, any individual that I used to be keen to work with the primary time, [same as I’m] nonetheless keen to work with [him] now, and I all the time suppose this stuff resolve themselves.”
This will probably be Penix’s first full season as starter. Rising pains are regular. What if the Falcons wrestle out of the gate? Will followers be calling for Cousins to take over? Might workforce decision-makers think about that in the event that they felt Cousins gave the workforce a greater likelihood to win? It is a make-or-break season for Morris, Fontenot, the teaching workers and entrance workplace. Atlanta hasn’t made the playoffs or had a successful document since 2017.
How does Penix really feel about Cousins nonetheless being on the roster?
Penix has confidence and poise past his stage of expertise. It does not appear probably the presence of Cousins will shake him.
Penix mentioned after the season that he believes the Falcons have one of the best offense within the league. Penix has been gifted with unbelievable arm expertise, and he isn’t afraid to indicate it off. Among the throws he made within the closing three video games of 2024 required guts as a lot as ability, specifically the fourth-and-11 seed he threw to Kyle Pitts for a late, game-tying landing in opposition to the Washington Commanders.
“He is been doing it since final 12 months on scout workforce, however on scout workforce, you do not have as a lot strain on you,” Bates mentioned. “However to look at him go along with the 1s and simply to see him do the identical stuff, I all the time ask him [after practice] like, ‘Hey, did you see me see me proper there or not?’ And he is identical to, ‘Yeah, I seen you.’ So, he is simply the last word professional. He’ll proceed to get higher each single day.”
Moreover his steely mindset, Penix has developed a friendship with Cousins, which included the 2 commuting collectively to the workforce airplane final 12 months for just a few street video games. Penix and Cousins dwell on the identical road in suburban Atlanta.
“He is all the time been the identical man from day one,” Penix mentioned of Cousins. “He all the time instructed me since I acquired in, he was like, ‘I acquired your again.’ I instructed him I acquired his again. We assist one another, and that is the way it’s all the time going to be. We’re teammates.”
Might Cousins be with the Falcons by 2025 and past?
If a commerce alternative comes about that works for all events, the Falcons would certainly pull the set off. Cousins has a no-trade clause, so he must clear any deal. Atlanta additionally desires a workforce to tackle a good quantity of Cousins’ assured cash this season, say someplace within the ballpark of $10 million. If he’s traded, the receiving workforce can be accountable for the $10 million roster bonus in 2026.
Now, these are usually not the best provisions for a possible deal. Cousins has made it clear that he desires to go someplace and begin. So, he is unlikely to provide the go-head on a commerce the place he’d find yourself sitting behind one other quarterback. He is already doing that in Atlanta.
The Falcons are going to maintain their telephone traces open and preserve a detailed eye on what’s occurring across the league. Quarterbacks get injured each season; there isn’t any approach round it. When that occurs, Cousins might grow to be a sought-after commerce goal. Proper now, the market is not all that scorching.
What does Cousins need to say about all this?
All the proper issues to this point. Cousins spent a while with the workforce early through the first section of the offseason program, however he was not current for organized workforce actions (OTAs) in Might and June. Cousins was in attendance at obligatory minicamp the place he addressed the native media for the primary time since being benched final December.
Cousins mentioned any conversations about him wanting out of Atlanta have been higher left in January and February. He did acknowledge he’d wish to be a starter but additionally vowed to assist Penix as a teammate whereas he is nonetheless on the roster.
“[Penix has] acquired all of the tangibles and intangibles you have to achieve success, and I am simply right here to assist him as he wants it, however I additionally do not have to be in his ear a lot that I am form of one other weight, one other voice,” Cousins mentioned. “I simply need to be a assist as I can and he is aware of that clearly we’re in shut proximity on the sector and in conferences. We’ve got nice conversations, and I can be taught from him identical to he can be taught from me. That is how a great quarterback room all the time needs to be.”
Cousins additionally defined that he wasn’t as wholesome as he believed he was in 2024, getting back from a torn proper Achilles. He mentioned his focus was on strengthening his ankle, however he did not work sufficient on mobility, which value him. There was additionally a success in Week 10 that injured his proper arm and shoulder. Cousins mentioned he felt like he was nonetheless capable of assist the workforce win regardless of being banged up. He mentioned he didn’t want any surgical procedures through the offseason.
“I feel I’ve nonetheless acquired just a little bit extra to go however very inspired by the progress I’ve made since January,” Cousins mentioned. “So, even jogging out right here at this time, simply very inspired by what I felt in comparison with the place I used to be even like six weeks in the past out right here throwing with the fellows. And I consider there’s extra progress up forward, too.”
