‘We got no heads up’: Kirk Cousins surprised by Falcons Penix Jr selection
The Atlanta Falcons pulled off the upset of the first round of the NFL draft by throwing quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on Thursday night. to be selected with the No. 8 overall pick.
The Falcons extended their recent trend of selecting offensive players in the first round by drafting Penix a month after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed. Using a draft slot normally reserved for players expected to make an immediate impact, the Falcons selected Penix as the apparent long-term successor to the 35-year-old Cousins.
The Falcons were expected to use the pick to boost their pass rush.
The Falcons also focused on offensive playmakers with their final three first-round picks. Tight end Kyle Pitts was the No. 4 overall pick in 2021, followed by wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson, both No. 8, the past two years.
Penix, who will turn 24 as a rookie, led FBS schools with 4,903 passing yards and was third with 36 touchdown passes at Washington in 2023. He won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player.
Mike McCarthy, Cousins’ agent, said the quarterback was “surprised” by the selection. “Yes, it was a big surprise,” McCarthy told NFL Network. “We had no idea this was coming. The truth is, the entire league had no idea this was going to happen. We don’t have heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation.”
Penix is widely considered this year’s most pro-ready quarterback. If the Falcons were to select a quarterback, it was expected they would select JJ McCarthy or Drake Maye, developmental prospects who would sit a few seasons behind Cousins.
With Cousins bound to a minimum two-year contract, Atlanta is faced with the prospect of Penix remaining until he is 26 years old.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said this week that he would consider selecting a quarterback high in the draft even if most of the outside attention was on edge rushers.
“If we see a player that we think can be a franchise quarterback at any point, whether it’s this draft, the next draft, whether it’s a player we can trade for, whatever it is, then you can bring that player in because we are when we talk about the next four to five years, plus when we talk about the guys we are drafting,” Fontenot said.
“It’s no different than when we’re talking about any other position, like you said. You can say there is a surplus now, but it could be a big need later. I think that because of that and because of the magnitude of the effects and the impact of that position you always have to be prepared to bring in players.”
The Falcons’ draft will not be affected by the NFL’s investigation into the team’s possible violation of the tampering policy before signing Cousins, who appeared to indicate he had been in communication with team officials at a time when it team should have only talked to them. his agent.