The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback situation has been one of the biggest storylines in the NFL since last season. Before the 2024 Draft, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal. Ideally, a contract like that should have guaranteed the starting role for Cousins. But just a few weeks later, the Falcons bafflingly drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick.
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Fast forward to the middle of the 2024 campaign, and the Falcons made a franchise-shifting decision by benching Cousins and handing the starting job to then-rookie Michael Penix Jr.
Now, we’re finally getting some answers from the veteran quarterback about what went on behind the scenes. He even shared the exact moment everything changed for him.
“Raheem [Morris] called Tuesday evening and just said he wanted to connect,” Cousins revealed on episode 7 of Netflix’s Quarterback season 2. “So I went in to see him, and he told me they were going to make a change, and so that was that.”
While the Falcons star described the conversation as brief but significant, he was also blunt enough to reveal that the decision to bench him was purely a merit-based decision.
“It didn’t need to be a long conversation,” Cousins said. “The ball was in my hands, and I just hadn’t played at the standard that I expected of myself, that he expected of me. And in pro football, that’s just the way it’s going to go.”
Considering the absolute professional that Cousins is, it’s no surprise that what disappointed him more was his performance falling short, not just losing the job.
“Anytime you don’t deliver, it hurts,” he admitted. “It hurts you, and it hurts when you factor in the other people that it affects. You just want to deliver, and when you don’t, it hurts.”
Back then, Cousins still remained positive after the jolt, choosing to believe this chapter isn’t the end of his football journey.
“I have to hold on to hope that there’s more to the story, that there’s more up ahead, that there’s purpose in it,” he reflected. “You just kind of hold on to that, because you don’t know what’s coming. It’s just going to be interesting to kind of see where it all goes.”
And now, heading into the 2025 season, he has been forced to extend that positivity because he finds himself in an unusual spot. For starters, the quarterback is no longer pushing for a trade after his offseason request went nowhere.
So he’s now preparing to stay in Atlanta, albeit as a high-paid backup with $27.5 million guaranteed. Meanwhile, Penix Jr. remains the projected starter despite an underwhelming debut, leaving Cousins as the NFL’s most overqualified insurance policy.
Keeping all this in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking to know that the chain of events must have taken a hit on him. But as the former Vikings star noted, his entire career has been full of unexpected twists.
“That’s been my football journey for almost 20 years,” he said. “You just never can tell where things are going to go, until you’re able to look back with the benefit of hindsight.”
So until the next roller coaster ride begins, Cousins is simply moving forward, aiming to toil in the training camp while preparing himself to see where this next twist leads.
