Should the Falcons bench Kirk Cousins for Michael Penix Jr?
Should the Falcons bench Kirk Cousins for Michael Penix Jr?
By Levi Coovert December 08, 2024 21:15 GMT+4 min read
The time may have come for the Atlanta Falcons to bench starting QB Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie (and top-15) draft pick Michael Penix Jr.
Cousins got off to a rocky start in week's one and two, but went on a 5-2 run in week's three through nine, reestablishing himself as one of the NFL's top passers and taking a firm lead of the NFC South with two narrow wins over the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since then, however, it has been a whole different story. Over the Falcons past four games, Cousins appears to be broken. He has tossed eight interceptions (two per game) and not a single touchdown. Cousins currently leads the league in both interceptions and fumbles, and has not thrown a touchdown pass in five weeks.
Of course, it is not ideal for the Falcons to bench their veteran signal caller, especially because they will still owe Cousins over $100 million over the next three years. However, if Cousins is struggling this much now, it's hard to imagine he will get much better as he enters his late thirties.
Cousins would still make a solid backup; he has proven his ability win games and would make a good mentor for a younger QB. However, under his current contract, Cousins would be the most expensive backup in the league, and it's hard to imagine the Falcons ownership is okay with that.
If they choose to move off Cousins this offseason, they would ultimately owe him $90 million in guarantees for one season as their starting QB. Only Russell Wilson in Denver would have made more money per year, when including future guarantees and buyouts.
Cousins also would not be tradeable, as he has a no trade clause. Even if there were any teams who wanted to trade for the aging quarterback, it would probably be one of the bottom-dwelling teams, and its hard to imagine Cousins would be interested in a trade after just one season.
So for Atlanta, the choice to move on from Cousins would be costly, which is presumably why they are so reluctant to do so. Preferably, he would start in 2025 and even in 2026, before handing the reigns to Penix for 2027 and beyond. But how many more games of Cousins struggling to find the endzone and giving up costly turnovers will it take before Atlanta is forced to make a move?
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