Kirk Cousins ‘does not have to look over his shoulder’ at Michael Penix Jr., says Falcons coach Raheem Morris after Atlanta’s head-scratching decision to draft a QB with the eighth pick after signing another for $180m

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins doesn’t have anything to worry about in first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.

Or at least not yet.

As explained by first-year Falcons coach Raheem Morris on Saturday, the team’s $180 million signal caller remains the team’s starter despite the head-scratching decision to use the eighth-overall pick on Penix, who will be 28 by the time Cousins’ four-year deal expires in 2028.

‘We came up with a decision, this is what we plan to do,’ said Morris, who replaced the fired Arthur Smith in January. ‘And Kirk does not have to look over his shoulder every time he throws a bad pass. Like, that is not the case.

‘So, I know I’m going to have to tell you guys once or twice that that is not the case. Like, we are here to go win, and we are here to go win it all. We are here to win as much as we can win.’

Cousins was reportedly ‘stunned’ to see the Falcons draft Penix on Thursday about a month after making him the team’s franchise quarterback.  

Morris said he and Cousins spoke Thursday about the situation, which he fears will cloud the public perception of Atlanta’s 2024 offseason and draft.

And to drive home his point to football fans, Morris made reference to a tight end on the Kansas City Chiefs who happens to be dating a popular singer.

‘I hate for it to be like the story of the draft,’ Morris said. ‘I know it will be. That’s just how our world is based and is driven, but I can’t say it’s annoying. No. Because it’s what people want to see; it’s piqued more interest.

‘What’s [Travis] Kelce’s girlfriend’s name? I feel like her right now. I’m Taylor Swift and Terry is Kelce, I guess.’

Cousins and Penix have spoken by phone, and while the details of the conversation remain private, the former Washington star was encouraged by the discussion and seems to have embraced his backup role for the time being. 

So why did the Falcons draft a quarterback a month after signing another for $180 million? 

‘It’s a remarkable arm talent when you watch him throw the football or when you hear it,’ Morris said of Penix after personally standing in at linebacker for the quarterback’s private workouts. ‘And when you stand out there playing linebacker, it’s intimidating.

‘The whole workout in itself was generally a fun experience to watch him throw, to see his arm talent,’ Morris said. ‘… And to just be the linebacker … I could hear the ball going over the top of my head. It had peak velocity at times and sometimes he was able to lay it over the top of me where I couldn’t get to it.’