The Atlanta Falcons have made a major roster change – deciding to bench starting quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
With Atlanta in the midst of a playoff hunt – currently one game out of the lead for the NFC South – first-year head coach Raheem Morris has decided to hand the reigns over to the rookie out of the University of Washington.
Cousins has been struggling in recent weeks as his transition from Minnesota to Atlanta has not gone smoothly. With cries from the fanbase to make a change, Morris pulled the trigger and will now start Penix when the Falcons host the New York Giants this week.
It makes the Falcons’ decision to sign the 36-year-old Cousins in the summer look even worse now than it did at the time his contract was agreed to.
Cousins’ four-year, $180million deal was lambasted at the time the Falcons announced it – especially when considering that $100m of that was guaranteed money.
Now, with the first season of that contract not even finished, Penix has been inserted into the starting role at a time where the Falcons likely need to win out in order to reach the playoffs.
The Atlanta Falcons have made the decision to bench starting quarterback Kirk Cousins
In his place will step rookie signal caller Michael Penix Jr., who the team took eighth overall
Cousins currently ranks seventh in the NFL in passing yards (3,508) and 13th in completion percentage.
But his touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-16 ranks horribly compared to other NFL starters, especially when it comes to teams in playoff contention.
The decision comes after Cousins’ thoroughly unimpressive performance against one of the league’s worst teams: the Las Vegas Raiders.
On Monday Night Football, Cousins only completed 11-of-17 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in an ugly 15-9 win.
Earlier on Tuesday, Morris publicly criticized Cousins for his poor performances.
‘He’s got to play better and obviously, you got to go back, you got to get to look at everything,’ Morris told reporters. ‘But he wants to play better. He’s got to play better. We’ve got to find a way to get him to play better.’
Penix was taken with the eighth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft after a college campaign that ended with him leading the Washington Huskies to the national championship game – where they fell to the Michigan Wolverines.
The Falcons shocked analysts and fans when they picked Penix – especially as it came about a month after they signed Cousins.
Cousins put up an awful performance on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders
Against a team he should’ve easily handled, he passed for 112 yards, a TD and an interception
Cousins himself admitted he was ‘stunned’ when the organization drafted the rookie. Now, that decision looks to have paid off for the Falcons.
According to Spotrac, the Falcons have a potential out in 2026 that will leave them with $35million in dead cap space should they decide to part ways with cousins.
If Cousins is somehow on the roster in 2026, he gets a $10m bonus. The same bonus kicks in if he’s on the roster in 2027.
Cousins’ deal also includes a full no-trade clause.
He currently earns a base salary of $12.5million this season, which escalates to $27.5m next season.
Atlanta (7-7) has a mixed bag in the final three games of their season.
They host the Giants next week and the Carolina Panthers in their final game of the campaign – with a tough road trip to the Washington Commanders sandwiched in-between.
The team leading the division – the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have a much easier path to the division title.
The decision to take Penix eighth overall, which was questioned at the time, seems to have paid off for Atlanta – as they look to make a playoff push with three games to go
The Bucs play their final road game of the regular season this week against the struggling Dallas Cowboys before hosting the Panthers, then the New Orleans Saints.
With Tampa Bay favored to win all three of those games, it means the Falcons may have to hope for a Wild Card berth.
Currently, Atlanta sits ninth in the NFC playoff picture – behind the eighth place Seattle Seahawks and the seventh-place Commanders in the final Wild Card spot.
According to ESPN, the Falcons have a 29 percent chance of making the playoffs.