Kirk Cousins is in the worst form of his career. The quarterback has thrown eight interceptions and fumbled four times during the Atlanta Falcons’ four-game losing streak.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has faced a lot of heat from the fans for sticking with Cousins and not giving Michael Penix Jr. an opportunity. NFL insider Jordan Schultz recently revealed that the Falcons are not benching the veteran quarterback because of his contract, even as the players on the team prefer the rookie over him.
Falcons Players Prefer Michael Penix Jr. Over Kirk Cousins
Cousins leads the NFL in interceptions (15) and has played nowhere close to a quarterback who was rewarded with a four-year, $180 million contract extension this past offseason.
During a segment on Fox Sports’ “Speak,” Schultz discussed the quarterback’s situation and why the Falcons are not making a change.
“I truly believe the only reason that they haven’t gone to Michael Penix Jr. yet is because of optics because the Falcons gave Kirk Cousins $100 million guaranteed,” said Schultz. “I have had players inside that locker room tell me point blank, ‘Michael Penix Jr. is the best quarterback in this building.'”
“The fact that they still have Kirk Cousins, who has the worst QBR in the red zone (3.3), in the last four weeks, who leads the NFL in picks (15) and fumbles (12). And this is a team, by the way, with really good talent. You ask anybody around this league, and they’ll tell you they have great weaponry; the fact that they are still with Cousins is because of optics.”
"I truly believe the only reason the Falcons haven't gone to Michael Penix Jr. yet is because of optics… I've had players inside that locker room tell me point black, Michael Penix Jr. is the best quarterback in this building." — @Schultz_Report pic.twitter.com/Tku5Xrhnxx
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 14, 2024
Schultz later talked about how the Falcons drafted Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft only because he was ready to play in the NFL instantly. The 24-year-old Washington product played six years in college before declaring for the draft. In his last season, he threw for 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, completing 65.4% of his throws.
Penix led Washington to the National Championship game. People talk about the quality of receivers he had in college to discredit him, but none among Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk have been as good in the NFL as they were advertised.
The Falcons have players like Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Darnell Mooney, and Bijan Robinson, with which any decent quarterback should be able to put up great numbers. This is a big reason why fans and people around the league think continuing with Cousins is not the right decision.
Cousins Has Favorable Fixtures To Keep His Job
Although Cousins is under increasing pressure, his head coach still trusts him. The franchise might be sticking with him due to his big contract, but the veteran quarterback has favorable fixtures to save his job.
The Falcons have games against the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Carolina Panthers. They are more than capable of winning all these fixtures, hence putting themselves in an ideal position to win the NFC South.
Cousins threw two interceptions against the Minnesota Vikings last week, but he played much better. The team hopes he builds on that performance and leads them to a win against the Raiders.
Schultz also mentioned that if the Falcons lose to the Raiders on Monday Night Football and Cousins continues to struggle, the team could consider benching him. Las Vegas has the third-worst-scoring defense in the league, and the 36-year-old quarterback has no excuse not to play well against a team allowing 27.8 points per game this season.