Kirk Cousins Believes There Is A Quarterback Competition With Michael Penix Jr. In Atlanta

Kirk Cousins was at the Atlanta Falcons draft party the night of the first round until inclement weather forced the event's cancelation. So Cousins was driving home when he got the call.

It was the Falcons brain trust – general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris – calling to tell Cousins they were on the clock and planned to select a quarterback.

Soon the Falcons picked Michael Penix Jr. in that first round. A month after signing Cousins as their starting quarterback.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 05:  General manager Terry Fontenot of the Atlanta Falcons speaks to the media as Raheem Morris is introduced as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 05, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Morris And Fontenot Delivered News

"It's pretty straight forward," Cousins said Tuesday, addressing the issue in front of reporters for the first time since the draft. "…They called me and said, ‘Hey we’re going to take a quarterback here with the pick,' and I said, ‘Ok.’

"And that was pretty straight forward."

Yeah, that's a sanitized version of events because Cousins then got on the phone with his agent, who then released a statement saying how this "was a big surprise" and neither he nor Cousins got a "heads up."

And here's the fallout from the strange set of decisions the Falcons have made at quarterback: They now have a quarterback competition between the veteran (Cousins) they signed to a $180 million contract in March and the rookie (Penix) they drafted in the first-round in April.

No, the team hasn't said that. The team has actually said Cousins is the starter.

But Cousins, already surprised once, is not leaving this one to chance. So on Tuesday he mentioned the competition he's in multiple times.

Cousins Competing With Penix Jr.

"…It's always going to be competition in this league and you got to go out and earn it," Cousins said. "I'm going to control what I can control and also understand there's a lot you don't control. I learned a long time ago, you've got to focus on what you can control."

And this:

"I think competition is always a part of how this league works, how football works," Cousins added. "My journey at Michigan State was the day I signed at Michigan State, two days later Nick Foles committed. We looked at each other and knew one guy is probably going to play here and one guy isn't.

"It doesn't mean we're both not great quarterbacks. You learn pretty quickly as a freshman in college you got to compete. And that's the way it's always been and always will be … this is consistent with my football journey as opposed to an exception.

"If you know my story, this is more the norm of the journey."

Let's be clear, because history is not going to be rewritten on OutKick. The actual events are the Falcons signed Cousins to be their starter, paid him handsomely to do that, and had the opportunity to do so because Cousins wasn't comfortable with how the Minnesota Vikings were positioned on the quarterback front.

FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA - MAY 14:  Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins #18 and Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons look on during OTA offseason workouts at the Atlanta Falcons training facility on May 14, 2024 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Cousins Picked Falcons Security

The Vikings wanted Cousins back as a free agent. But they were transparent in also letting the 35-year-old Cousins know they planned to get younger in the quarterback room as well.

Then the Vikings didn't commit to Cousins in the same manner financially as what the Falcons did on a contract offer. So Cousins went with the Falcons thinking they were more invested in him over a long term.

Would he have made a different calculation if he'd known Atlanta would turn around and immediately draft his potential replacement?

"I don't really deal in hypotheticals," Cousins said, dodging the question as if it was a blitzing linebacker. "You know, we could go down that path for a long time in a lot of ways. It just doesn't do us any good. 

"So, ah, I'm excited for this opportunity I have. I think it's a real privilege to be a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and I'm trying to make good on the opportunity given me with the way I work each day and the way we play this fall."

Cousins, by the way, is practicing and also rehabilitating from the Achilles injury that ended his season prematurely in 2023. He reported Tuesday that all systems are good so far.

"It's coming along really well. Today I felt the best I've felt," Cousins said. "It's also one day at a time. The Falcons training staff is doing a great job with me on a daily basis with my rehab. I think everything's trending in the right direction.

"I wasn't sure when I stood here in March and I'd just gotten here how much I'd be able to do in practice but today I felt I was able to do everything I would have normally done"

That's good news because Cousins believes he's locked in a competition.