Kirk Cousins felt ‘misled’ when Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr.
Kirk Cousins wishes he had the inside scoop last March.
The benched Falcons quarterback revealed he felt “misled” after leaving the Vikings to sign a four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta following the 2023 season, only for the team to draft his replacement, Michael Penix Jr., with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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“Wasn’t expecting us to take a quarterback so high. At the time, it felt like I had been a little bit misled or certainly if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would have affected my decision,” Cousins said in Netflix’s “Quarterback” docuseries. “I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams were going to be drafting a quarterback, but I’ve also learned in 12 years you’re not entitled to anything. It’s all about being able to earn your sport and prove yourself.”
Cousins entered free agency following the 2023-24 season hoping to return to Minnesota, but the Vikings did not want to commit long-term to a then-35-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles.
The veteran hoped for more stability, and that came in the form of the Falcons’ offer that included $100 million in guaranteed money.
Cousins went back to Minnesota in an attempt to see if he could change their minds having received a lengthier deal, but the Vikings didn’t budget, which he said made his decision “really easy.”
He recalled being asked before a game this past season by a broadcaster about what made him leave Minnesota for Atlanta, and he took issue with the wording.
“I said, ‘That question is the wrong question.’ I didn’t want to leave Minnesota. There was nothing about anywhere that made me want to leave Minnesota,” Cousins said. “We wanted to be in Minnesota, but it became clear we were going to be there year to year and that’s what we didn’t want and at that point, we said, ‘Alright, we need to look elsewhere. If that’s our only option, then we’ll be back.”
He added: “Ended up signing with Atlanta and was pretty excited about the chance to get down there and start fresh. And then was pretty surprised when the NFL draft happened.”
The Falcons stunned the NFL community by taking Penix with the eighth pick after committing nine figures to Cousins, since most expected they would make a win-now move. The Vikings took Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, two picks after Penix.
Atlanta began the season with Cousins taking snaps, but the veteran did not impress through 14 games.
He led them to a 7-7 mark with 18 touchdowns to 16 interceptions, including a four-game losing streak after a 6-3 start, and the Falcons made the move to Penix.
The former Michigan State star battled an injury before being benched.
Penix played well as the starter and the Falcons are now his team, which raised questions about Cousins’ future with the franchise.
Cousins met with owner Arthur Blank and made it clear he would rather be with a team where he has a chance to start, but the Falcons exercised his $10 million roster bonus and didn’t move him.
“It hurts to go into work, but you got to be an adult,” Cousins said, per ESPN. “You’ve got to be a grown man and handle it with maturity. I feel sorry for myself and it’s hard to do, but that’s what you got to do. And so that’s kind of where my focus went.”
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