Kirk Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
The veteran quarterback may not have agreed to the deal had he known the Falcons were going to select Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Cousins explained on Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ series he felt ‘pretty surprised’ and ‘misled’ about the organization’s decision to draft Penix.
“I wasn’t expecting us to take a quarterback,” Cousins said. “At the time, it felt like I’d been a little bit misled — or certainly if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would have affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there, if both teams are gonna be drafting a quarterback high.”
‘But I’ve also learned in 12 years in this league that you’re not entitled to anything. It’s all about being able to earn your spot and prove yourself.’
Cousins had known the Vikings planned to draft a successor during the 2024 NFL Draft. The team still offered him a deal to return, but it didn’t come with the long-term security Cousins and his family desired.
‘We wanted to be in Minnesota. But, it became clear that we were going to be there year to year,’ Cousins said. ‘And that’s what we didn’t want. At that point, we said, ‘All right, we need to look elsewhere. If that’s our only option, then we’ll be back.”
Cousins did find interest elsewhere, as the Falcons were willing to pay him $45 million in average annual value (AAV) through his age-39 season. He was excited to ‘start fresh’ and try to bring Atlanta to the postseason for the first time since the 2017 NFL playoffs.
However, he had a tumultuous first season with the Falcons. The veteran got off to a fast start despite coming off a torn Achilles, but a midseason injury that impacted his throwing elbow and shoulder caused his performance to dip significantly.
Ultimately, it resulted in Cousins being benched in favor of Penix late in the season, something the four-time Pro Bowler was desperately trying to avoid, despite his injuries impacting his arm strength.
‘You also know that if you sit down Week 10 and take two or three weeks or more to let it heal, you may never get your job back,’ Cousins explained in the series’ final episode. ‘I remember reading Drew Brees’ book back in 2010 when he first wrote it, how he made the point that he tried to never let his backup see the field — even if it was somebody who was really no threat. He just felt like you should never do that. Doug Flutie taught him that.
‘So that was something I always was aware of, that in this league, if you give someone else the chance, if you want to be Wally Pipp and there’s Lou Gehrig behind you, that can happen. At the time, you gotta make the decision with the information you have then.’
Still, Cousins tried to remain engaged after being benched, despite worrying about what the future might hold for him and his family.
‘It hurts to go into work, but you got to be an adult,’ Cousins said of his benching. ‘You’ve got to be a grown man and handle it with maturity. I feel sorry for myself and it’s hard to do, but that’s what you got to do. And so that’s kind of where my focus went.’