NFL insider shines damning light on Falcons sticking with Kirk Cousins

Heading into a week 15 matchup on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders, the headlines dominating the Falcons all surround quarterback controversy.

Kirk Cousins is amid the worst stretch of his career. He hasn’t tossed a touchdown pass in four straight games and has eight interceptions over that stretch, leading to four straight losses. He’s clearly lost a few miles per hour on his fastball, and it’s possible we are watching the last few snaps of his career in front of our very eyes. However, Raheem Morris isn’t quite ready to give up on the 13-year veteran just yet, stating on multiple occasions this is Cousins’ team, and he’s earned the right to get it back on track.

The Falcons still have a shot at the playoffs. In fact, there’s a decent chance they find themselves back in first place after this week if the Bucs lose to the Chargers and the Falcons beat up on the lowly Raiders. That’s why sticking with the veteran seems to give the Falcons the best chance to end their six-season playoff drought.

But at least one NFL insider is suggesting that is not the case.

“I truly believe the only reason the Falcons haven’t gone to Michael Penix Jr. yet is because of optics… I’ve had players inside that locker room tell me point black, Michael Penix Jr. is the best quarterback in this building,” Jordan Shultz recently said on Speak For Yourself. 

If this is true, it is a damning indictment on the Atlanta Falcons, but it wouldn’t be the first time they said or did something strictly because of optics. It’s actually a pretty common theme for this franchise under Arthur Blank.

The Falcons handed Kirk Cousins $180 million in the offseason, $100 million of which is fully guaranteed. There’s no question now that it was a mistake. Cousins is a shell of the quarterback he once was, but Atlanta is still on the hook for a ton of money after this season, and it appears they might be trying to save face rather than doing what’s best for the organization.

It’s a messy situation, but who could have possibly seen this coming when the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and then immediately turned around and drafted Michael Penix Jr. 8th overall a mere weeks later?

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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