Atlanta Falcons Rumors: Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr’s Team Hints at Further Additions to Already Star-Studded QB Room

It seems the Atlanta Falcons are not quite done embellishing their QB room. After making a big splash in free agency by acquiring Kirk Cousins for a substantial amount, the franchise also drafted Michael Penix Jr at no. 8 overall. The team already has backup Taylor Heinicke. But the Falcons’ QB acquisition efforts have now extended past the NFL Draft.

According to reports by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Falcons put in a waiver claim for Rourke, the former New England Patriots QB, before he was snatched up by the Giants due to higher waiver priority.

Atlanta seems to be going all in at the quarterback position, which is not surprising since they have previously emphasized that longevity and security at the QB position are of the utmost priority. The team’s interest in Rourke suggests that they are looking to add a fourth QB to the mix.

Rourke hasn’t played a regular season game yet, despite having made his way to three teams in two seasons. He signed with the Patriots in December, following his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and was waived by New England after one season on Monday.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Rourke participated in 22 CFL games, making 11 starts. Between 2021 and 2022, he racked up 4,035 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in the CFL. The news of this effort by the Falcons had fans feeling all kinds of ways. 

Falcons Want to Push Kirk Cousins Out?

When Kirk Cousins signed with the team on a four-year, $180 million deal, fans thought he was end-game. However, soon after, the franchise picked up Penix Jr in the draft, much to the surprise of Cousins himself and Atlanta fans. Using their top pick to draft another QB when they had just spent so much money on a veteran QB felt a little strange. And now, the news of Rourke.

Fans mostly seem to be confused about the Falcons’ intentions with Kirk and the rest of the QB room. Perhaps they are preparing for all eventualities; Kirk did go down in the middle of the season last year due to injury, or as one fan speculated, “They gotta know something bout Kirk that we don’t.”

One fan speculated, “They are trying to push Cousins back out the door!”

It remains unclear if this is actually what the Falcons are planning, or if they are truly focused on building up their QB room with the sharpest weapons they can find. Perhaps they have learned from the fall of various teams last season, with a QB missing from action, and are determined to have multiple plans of action in place.

The Falcons spent three years looking for their franchise quarterback, starting a new QB in week 1 each year. After Matt Ryan went his way, the franchise didn’t have a quarterback, settling for Marcus Mariota as a transition quarterback. It seems the franchise is done with an unstable QB situation, and is looking to make their QB room absolutely bulletproof.