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Despite signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract prior to the 2024 season, the Atlanta Falcons doubled down on the position a month later, taking Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in the NFL draft.
After a brutal four-game losing streak during which the veteran quarterback had zero touchdowns and eight interceptions and the Falcons fell to 7-7, the team made a change. Cousins was benched in favor of the rookie.
The Falcons are sticking with Penix as the starter for 2025. And the second-year passer received some serious support from former quarterback Robert Griffin III.
“Michael Penix Jr. will be the breakout QB of the Year in the NFL this year,” RGIII wrote on his official X account.
Penix didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his three rookie season starts. He completed 58 percent of his passes and threw for 737 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions going 1-2 to close out the year. Still, he showed the Falcons enough to earn the starting job moving forward.
The decision to start Penix makes Cousins the league’s highest-paid backup, as Atlanta is on the hook to the 37-year-old veteran for $100 million in guaranteed money. Of course, the team could eat some of that money and trade him but the Falcons are reportedly being stubborn with Cousins and he remains on the roster.
His salary has impacted the team’s ability to add playmakers in free agency. And the Falcons focused almost exclusively on defense in the 2025 NFL draft. A seventh-round tackle was Atlanta’s only addition to the offensive side of the ball in the draft.
Still, Penix does have weapons to work with. Former first-round wideout Drake London is coming off his first 1,000-yard season. He also had 100 receptions and nine touchdowns in 2024. Darnell Mooney fell just eight yards shy of 1,000 yards in his Falcons debut last year. And running back Bijan Robinson is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Atlanta also has tight end Kyle Pitts
The Falcons have failed to make the playoffs in seven straight seasons. But the team is hopeful Penix can change the team’s fortunes. If Atlanta ultimately keeps Cousins as its QB2, the pressure will be on Penix to get off to a strong start.
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