FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. addressed reporters outside the team’s locker room for the final time this season Jan. 6, he did so just moments removed from perhaps his last in-person, in-facility interaction with Kirk Cousins.
Penix spent the first 15 weeks of his rookie season learning under the guidance of Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler who ultimately struggled to the tune of one touchdown and nine interceptions over his final five starts.
Now, Cousins’s future in Atlanta is dim. He’s expected to be cut or traded in March, bringing an abrupt, premature end to his time with the Falcons after signing a four-year contract worth up to $180 million. Depending on the time of his departure, he’ll earn either $90 million or $100 million guaranteed for 14 starts.
But Cousins proved to be a valuable mentor to Penix. The two live in the same suburban Atlanta neighborhood — and Penix, less than 24 hours after his rookie season ended with a 44-38 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers, wanted to enjoy the present with his veteran teammate.
“I just seen Kirk. I was just talking to Kirk,” Penix said. “So I’m enjoying that right now, and he’s still here right now. So I’m enjoying that. So that’s all I can do right now.”
But now, Cousins isn’t there. When he left after the season, he told Falcons head coach Raheem Morris they’d speak soon this offseason. Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot have expressed confidence in Cousins’s ability to be the team’s backup moving forward, but Fontenot didn’t disclose whether Cousins wanted that role.
Yet regardless of what the Falcons do with Cousins, his first season in Atlanta went far different than most expected. He completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, which led the NFL at the time of his benching.
Cousins won a pair of NFC Offensive Player of the Week awards, and he led the Falcons to a 6-3 start at the season’s halfway point. Then, it came crashing down.
But Penix’s admiration for Cousins remains unaffected.
“Obviously, Kirk, just finishing his 13th year, he’s amazing, man,” Penix said. “He’s been nothing but a great support — always helping me throughout this whole process, since Day 1, so much appreciation to him.”
Before becoming the starter, Penix was Atlanta’s backup, meaning he faced the Falcons’ starting defense in practice each day while running the scout team offense.
On gamedays, he held the figurative clip board, absorbing all he could from Cousins and his teammates about the inner workings of games.
It culminated in a promising three-game string of starts at season’s end, as the 24-year-old went 58-for-100 passing for 737 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score. He threw for 312 yards and scored three times against Carolina to close the campaign.
And for Penix, the various roles and rollercoaster of a season team-wise culminated in a growth-filled — but enjoyable — rookie year.
“It was fun,” Penix said. “The whole time was fun — I enjoyed it. Out there working with scout team, doing my best to get the defense a great look so they can play good on Sundays. But, man, it was special.”
Daniel Flick is an accredited NFL writer for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Daniel has provided boots-on-ground coverage at the NFL Combine and from the Atlanta Falcons’ headquarters, among other destinations, and contributed to the annual Lindy’s Sports Magazine ahead of the 2023 offseason. Daniel is a co-host on the 404TheFalcon podcast and previously wrote for the Around the Block Network and Georgia Sports Hospitality Media.
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