Michael

Penix Jr.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris hardly seemed surprise by Cousins’ no-show, as the team tries to find a way to sever ties with Cousins, 36, following his disastrous 2024 season. The team has repeatedly committed to Michael Penix as the Week 1 starter, even suggesting they could keep Cousins — scheduled to make $40 million in 2025 — as Penix’s backup. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowlers reported last week that Cousins is “on the Steelers’ radar” if Pittsburgh can’t come to terms with Aaron Rodgers as their 2025 starter. That could be the only remaining path for Cousins if he’s intent on getting out of Atlanta this summer.

Cousins surprisingly showed up for the team’s voluntary workouts this week. Morris said he wasn’t sure if Cousins would continue attending, emphasizing that the workouts are voluntary. “I do know he would like to try to be a starter at some point,” Morris said. “That’s definitely been clearly communicated with me and whoever I see an opportunity to talk to. I do know that. The way about that, I’m not sure. But we have to figure those things out. We have to get to that process.” Morris denied a recent ESPN report saying the Falcons would ask a team acquiring Cousins to eat $20 million of the $45 million he’s owed for the 2025 season. Cousins, entering his age-37 season, has a good chance of landing with another QB-needy team during or shortly after the NFL Draft. Michael Penix is locked in as Atlanta’s 2025 starter.

Usurped by Michael Penix as Atlanta’s starter late last season, Cousins, entering his age-37 season, reportedly hopes to be traded after the 2025 NFL Draft. Cousins has a no-trade clause in his Falcons contract, meaning he has a say in where he’s dealt in the coming weeks or months. Though Falcons officials have been cagey about Cousins’ future with the organization, there’s almost no way Cousins remains on the roster headed into the summer. Penix is widely viewed as the team’s long-term starter. Cousins in 2024 posted the second-lowest touchdown rate of his NFL career and the lowest adjusted yards per attempt of his 13 seasons in the league.

This is the second time Fontenot has postured about having Cousins as a backup in 2025 after he was benched for Penix late in the 2024 season. With a guaranteed salary of $27.5 million for the coming season and a no-trade clause, Cousins would be a well compensated backup. Cousins a few weeks ago claimed he had been struggling through an injury. The team, per Fontenot, was unaware of any such injury for the 36-year-old Cousins, who tore his Achilles in 2023 and was almost completely immobile for the 2024 season’s first month. With the Browns reportedly interested in acquiring Cousins, it’s unlikely the Falcons keep him as a backup.

The Falcons’ loss ends their slim postseason hopes and caps off a disappointing season for the team’s offense. Penix had all day to operate from a clean pocket against a toothless Carolina defense and picked apart the Panthers from start to finish, targeting Drake London relentlessly. His interception came on a tipped ball by an Atlanta pass catcher, his second such pick over the past two games. Penix during his three late-season starts displayed his strong arm and ability to change plays at the line and manipulate secondaries with his eyes. Penix’s functional mobility was on full display over his three rookie season starts; he did well to avoid oncoming rushers and keep his eyes upfield. He profiles as the kind of point guard quarterback who can fuel fantasy production for at least a couple pass catchers. Penix will be a reasonable floor play in fantasy lineups in 2025.

Penix watched from the sideline as the Commanders controlled the fourth quarter, ultimately kicking a field goal with just over four minutes remaining to take a seven point lead. He then drove the length of the field to tie the game with just over a minute remaining, a drive in which he converted two fourth-and-long situations to tie the game. The Falcons would then force a quick three-and-out and had a chance to steal the victory in regulation following a defensive pass interference call, but the 57-yard attempt fell just short to send the game to overtime. The Commanders won the toss and Jayden Daniels would ensure the Falcons would not see the football again. The loss drops the Falcons into the No. 8 seed in the NFC, now requiring a win over the Panthers in Week 18 and a loss by the Buccaneers to the Saints to reach the postseason.

Penix also “added” four carries for three yards. It’s a quiet statline that doesn’t tell the story of a solid, composed outing in Penix’s starting debut. His “interception” was in reality a Kyle Pitts goal-line drop, while he helped engineer two scoring drives that were finished off by Bijan Robinson touchdown plunges. The biggest “problem” was Drew Lock tossing a pair of hideous pick-sixes that limited the Falcons’ overall play volume and compiling opportunities. The Falcons, of course, won’t be complaining like fantasy managers there. Penix throws a spinner with heat. There are going to be big plays in Weeks 17 and 18, though Drake London’s (hamstring) status is questionable for next Sunday against the Commanders.

The Falcons selected Penix No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft with the veteran Kirk Cousins already signed and are choosing to make the move to the 24-year-old earlier than fans anticipated. Penix led the Washington Huskies to an undefeated season in 2023, losing the National Championship game to Michigan. He won the Maxwell Award and finished second for the Heisman Trophy. As an older rookie, Penix profiles to be further along in his development and may have a shorter learning curve than some of the other rookie starters this season. For fantasy purposes, it can’t be too much worse for pass-catchers Drake London and Darnell Mooney as the offense had just one passing touchdown over its last five games. London and Mooney are in back-end WR2 and WR4 mixes, respectively. Though Penix offers more mobility than statue Kirk Cousins, he was never a rusher in college and will have minimal dual-threat upside. He sits at the fantasy QB2/3 borderline for his first career start in Week 16 against the porous Giants defense.

This follows a post-game presser where he again clearly said “We have to play better at the quarterback position.” It would seem that the door is being at least cracked a little for a Michael Penix Jr. switch down the stretch. Cousins has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions in his last five starts, and has appeared to be dealing with diminished arm strength as well. The Falcons host the Giants in Week 16 and Penix Jr., if he’s chosen to start, would make for an appealing QB2 streamer in superflex leagues for his first start if given the opportunity. Morris had been defiantly answering questions about Cousins with affirmative proclamations about how he was the team’s starter. That is no longer the case.

Morris didn’t place much blame at Cousins’ feet following the Falcons’ 42-21 loss to the Vikings. Morris said his quarterback “played significantly better than he did [in Week 13]” while adding the team “did not support him” in the loss. Cousins threw for 344 scoreless yards in the defeat and has now gone four-straight games without throwing an interception while tossing eight picks. Morris sticking by his quarterback shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point. The Falcons get a chance for a nice bounce-back in Week 15 against the Raiders and then have games against the Giants, Commanders, and Panthers to close things out. You couldn’t ask for an easier schedule when it comes to correcting course, now it’s on Cousins to take advantage of the schedule.