Days after Kirk Cousins was ejected from the first pitch of a Braves game, the Falcons dropped some heavy heat on their new center fielder.
The cousins did not expect this.
After scattered reports surfaced regarding Cousins being surprised by the team's decision to select quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, his agent provided a statement to NFL Media.
“Yes, it was a big surpriseMike McCartney said. “We had no idea this was coming. The truth is the entire league had no idea this was happening. We don't keep our heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It wasn't mentioned in the Any conversation.”
It wasn't a complete lightning strike. The Falcons did their homework on Penix. Visited the Falcons. During Thursday BFT Livewe thought about the possibility of Penix moving to Atlanta.
So it shouldn't be a complete and total surprise to Cousins and McCartney. And at least the Falcons contacted Cousins while they were on the clock. That's more than Aaron Rodgers got four years ago, when the Packers surrendered a first-round pick to take Jordan Love.
Cousins has $90 million fully guaranteed upon signing, along with another $10 million that becomes fully guaranteed in March 2025. However, with Cousins willing to do everything he can to win a championship in Atlanta, the Falcons didn't help him by not taking the player Who will actually play while his cousins play.
That's the bigger issue here. It was an opportunity to improve now, not later. The Falcons later opted.
It also puts a little extra heat on Cousins. Maybe (and I don't say this sarcastically, given Cousins' comments last year on Netflix Quarterback Series) will have the cousins working on Tuesday. Basically, it's a hot poker game that sees him fend off Penix. That's something Cousins never had to worry about in Minnesota.
Not that the Vikings didn't try. In 2021, they were poised to take Justin Fields until they were jumped by the Bears. Last week, coach Kevin O'Connell said he basically had to talk the team away from other quarterbacks the past two years as well.
The bottom line is that drafting Penix ends his honeymoon with Cousins in Atlanta. At a time when everything was great, this move became a bucket of ice water for Tim McCarver, to continue the whole Braves thing.
So don't expect to see Kirk in many other Braves games. It's time for him to hold off on selecting a top-10 player who won't be content to stick around for two or three years. If that makes Cousins work harder, it's a win of sorts for the Falcons — even if it pisses off their quarterback in the short term.
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