The Kirk Cousins Era Lasted 14 Games

Kirk Cousins decided to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2024 offseason, leaving a solid situation in Minnesota that has helped Sam Darnold revitalize his NFL career. The Vikings hired the former 3rd-overall pick as a patch-over signal-caller between Cousins and 1st-rounder J.J. McCarthy, while the Falcons surprisingly selected Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick.
The Kirk Cousins Era Lasted 14 Games

Penix Jr. appeared in the news after Monday’s win over the two-win Raiders, in which Cousins barely eclipsed the 100-yard mark through the air, resulting in a 15-9 win carried by the defense and Bijan Robinson’s rushing attack.
Head coach Raheem Morris didn’t want to rule out a change at the QB1 spot. On Tuesday, news emerged that the Falcons would make the move, starting Penix Jr. in Sunday’s pivotal matchup against the Giants. The 7-7 Falcons need to keep pace with the 8-6 Buccaneers, and Penix Jr. is supposed to provide a spark by using his cannon arm to get the ball to the playmakers.

The news hit on Tuesday evening when the Falcons released a statement:
The Atlanta Falcons (7-7) are making a switch at the quarterback position, replacing Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback in Week 16, according to a statement sent out by the team on Tuesday night.
“After review we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward,” head coach Raheem Morris said in the statement. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
Cousins is coming off the worst five-game stretch of his career with only one touchdown and nine interceptions. The Falcons only won one of those contests, losing the commanding lead over the NFC South competition.

The passer signed a four-year contract worth $180 million just nine months ago. Atlanta is on the hook for the massive contract, and releasing him would be costly.
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero outlined the financial implications via tweet:
Release him before March 16, 2025 (no-post June 1 designation): They’d still owe him $27.5 million fully guaranteed cash and carry a $65M dead cap hit in 2025.
Release him before March 16 (post-June 1 designation): Same cash, but they’d spread the dead cap hit over two years: $40M in 2025 (his scheduled number) and $25M in 2026.
Trade him before June 1, 2025 (which he’d need to agreed to): They’d carry a dead cap number of $37.5M in 2025, but save $27.5M in cash and $2.5M in cap.
The Falcons are trapped from a money standpoint, and on top of that, an extra $10 million will be guaranteed on March 16.

On the field, however, it remains to be seen how well Penix Jr. does. If he does well, there will be no question about it; it is his team going forward.
If he does poorly, Cousins might receive another chance, and the Falcons must hope that some extra time between the devastating Achilles injury suffered in October 2023 and his next start helps him revert to his prime self.
For now, Cousins seems to have entered the annual QB carousel. The question is whether he garners any interest in free agency or the trade market after a season with (to date) 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The Falcons are still a potential playoff opponent for the Vikings. If they can overtake Tampa Bay, they will likely host the five-seed, which the Vikings currently occupy.
Cousins has started 159 career games, resulting in 42,979 yards, 288 passing touchdowns, and 126 interceptions.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.

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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt