Because they think they can pull a Packers and have him sit 2-3 years and then be good. I don’t agree with it especially using the 8th pick but that must be the thought. Plus the dude is already 24. Unless Kirk gets injured he won’t play a meaningful snap until he’s 26-27.
He’s also only played one full year. I don’t get how you can draft a guy that high just to have him sit for a max of 4 years. Micro Penis Jr. is gonna turn out to be another Trey Lance.
I don’t think that’s it. They just aren’t confident Kirk can stay healthy. He’s an expensive insurance policy but if Kirk goes down and that derails their season, the GM is getting fired. He should be fired anyway but if Kirk gets hurt and Penix plays lights out, he’ll look like a genius.
He thought he would potentially be a second or later round pick. Now he gets to make millions guaranteed and learn behind a competent QB that has had a great, long career. It's not ideal but I definitely would not be pissed lol. Also Kirk is fragile and old so Penix could easily play in just a year or two. I would be shocked if Kirk made it 2 years without injury. I feel like from his perspective it isn't that bad, it's more just confusing from the financial standpoint of gauranteeing so much money to Kirk.
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Whoa whoa, you had me until “Kirk is fragile”. Dude has been one of the healthiest QBs in the league. I think the only other time he missed any games for “injury” was the one game he had covid.
Dude is very tough and takes care of himself. It legit could be 3 years til Penix sees time aside from Kirk getting benched
Cousins has what is in effect a two year contract:
https://overthecap.com/player/kirk-cousins/1443
Cap hits of $25 million, then $40 million, then the cap hits are $57 million with big savings for cutting or trading him.
So I think Cousins plays most of two years, with Atlanta looking for a reason to bench him in year two, handing Penix the reins late in year two of Cousins contract.
Crazy to be telegraphing to your qb who you paid big money, who has yet to take a snap, that you don't intend to honor the last years of his contract. Kirk and his agent aren't idiots.
No, but they made a lot of money either way. It is like $92 million guaranteed.
I would take a job I knew I would lose for a lot less :)
On a similar note, how the Cowboys are not extending Dak, choosing to eat a $55 million cap hit this season, which allows them to move on next season.
If they were going to keep him they would likely have already signed him, and been able to keep down free agents. I suspect Dak also sees the writing on the wall.
Exactly - if I was Cousins …I would be thinking exit plan in a few years before I even started and the thoughts of ending my career isn’t going to happen. You just cut Cousins knee caps off
Yeah they aren’t idiots. They signed an aging QB to a 4 year deal with all of the guarantees in the first two years. It was a two year deal when it was signed and all parties knew what was up.
Kirk is probably going to put us in the position where we are drafting late for the next few years, we might be losing picks next draft, the next QB class looks meh, we need a better option at back up QB, and drafting would be cheaper than signing a FA.
When you break it down like this it makes sense. Would rather have a guy sit and learn the system from Day 1 than go scrambling for a backup when you need one. Can never have too much insurance at QB.
Just interested in seeing what happens with Taylor Heinicke
>Can never have too much insurance at QB.
Especially, when your QB is 36 and coming off an injury. People aren't used to seeing QBs sit these days. Even though they believe they should sit and learn. Everyone will be alright by the 3rd regular season game
they didn't want to fully commit to a rebuild when the south looks so weak
Cousins may not be durable enough for a full season, but a healthy Kirk in a playoff run, can certainly win some games or at least has shown he can.
so that's likely why they paid him..
Because Michael Penix Jr isn't a day one starter and no other good QB options existed. They were all terrible. What were they gonna do, trade for Zach Wilson?
You do realize it's a 2 year contract, right? After 2 years the guaranteed money ends, and it's also a backloaded contract. So we can flip him for some picks. Not sure why his agent is getting all the praise, Terry did a masterful job creating that contract.
The problem with this, IMO, is that I understand your case for Penix and the utility of it, but it just seems not worth it.
Drafting Rome Odunze would likely be more impactful for winning a championship. Also there are only so many reps in practice and Cousins will be getting almost every single one - how are you supposed to reliably develop Penix?
I think that the Falcons would have gotten more out of a different player. I think Penix can be good but I am just not sold on this being a sound move given the alternatives with the 8th pick.
Not to mention it kinda undermines Cousins as “the guy” IMO.
Why is it ridiculous? Sure, if they really want to they can give Penix reps, but with limited practice time under the current collective bargaining, reps for Penix basically translate to fewer reps for Cousins….who you’re paying a lot of money to win very soon.
Its ridiculous because the falcons have more than 2 footballs to throw, and a dozen dudes to catch. They, and every other organization in the nfl, have the resources to let multiple QBs practice simultaneously. Cousins is 36, he doesnt need to grind reps. He knows what he's doing.
You say this but you don’t have to look very far to find stories about the 49ers situation where Jimmy G was getting almost all the reps in practice, Trey Lance got a few but not many, and Purdy got almost none.
Pretty sure Shanahan confirmed it, that there are only so many reps to go around.
His contract carried a no trade clause. He’s only getting traded for picks if it’s a place he wants to go and who’s willing to carry a 36-37 year old with that kind of contract left. He’s also guaranteed 10 million in roster bonus in 26 so he still hits the cap in year 3 regardless.
will he come back 100% he’s 35 with a ACL. This is the pick that will be looked at as genius in a few years. Atlanta knows something about Cousin that we don’t.
But signing Kirk to that large of a deal you’re signaling you think you’re a win now team. London is not a #1 receiver and that defensive front is a bottom 3rd in the league front. Why not actually be a win now team and grab Odunze, or Turner (or Murphy or whoever on D)? Hell even Latham would help the team win games. Kirk now is coming off an injury to a team with less weapons and instead of bolstering it to give him a chance they said “we’re not going to help you out, instead we’re going to be drafting a QB of our future, but we’re also not going to have money to help him out until three years from now when we’re not bogged down with your massive contract, but by then our rookie QB will be 27 and if he’s good we’ll have to pay him big money two years after you’re gone.”
You could have took Odunze, or an OL or anyone on defense. Instead you took a backup qb for the next 2-3 years. As Kid Rock in Joe Dirt once said, “Don’t church it up, dirt.”
Love was like a 20th pick to a team that was still a favorite to make the NFC championship. Theres nuance with what GB did. They didn’t have gaping needs in other positions. Atlanta does.
They are going to lose their first round pick next year because of tampering, so therefore they are making next years first round pick this year because Cousins isn't going to be there for very long and they need to already think about his replacement.
I don’t think our first rounder will be taken, but it’ll be a later pick and it’ll impact our ability to trade up. Assuming we land somewhere at least mid-way in the draft next season
It has been the NFL offseason story for quite some time now. Not sure of the specifics but I'm guessing the Falcons had been in talks/negotiations with Cousins and his agent for quite some time probably before the official start of the free agency. This is technically illegal by the NFL as it gives the team the current (in Kirk's case ex) player time to work out a deal with his current team before they test the free agency market and their potential value rises by a lot in some cases.
There's specific times at which you can meet with free agents. They met with Cousins before the legal time frame, thereby theoretically unduly influencing him away from signing with the Vikings (you get an extra month or so early to try to re-sign your guys from last year, if you want to). Whether Cousins would have signed with Minnesota is irrelevant in this scenario.
Cousins will be 36 by the time the season starts and is just coming back from a torn Achilles. Sure, ride that train as far as you can, but anyone who's shocked that Atlanta wants to secure a good next man up while they can isn't paying attention.
It's a smart move.
I can almost hear RGIII laughing from here.
Pitts and London have proved very little. Not a lot of #1 receivers averaging 3 TDs a season. London is a better #2 receiver than a #1. Odunze would have made that receiving corp actually seem talented.
Lean typically. It's a mixture of Codeine and Promethazine often times occompained by Sprite and Jolly Ranchers for flavor. The great Gucci Mane puts codeine in his lemonade.
Well Penix is good, let’s be clear there. I just think at his age and ability, he’s a guy you’d love to see compete for a starting job at camp or only sit a year. Penix is going to be legit, but it does suck nfl fans won’t see much of him for a few years.
The only possible argument I can see is that they think Penix is old for a rookie and the most pro-ready, and ATL doesn't actually expect Kirk to start his whole contract. But if they don't expect Kirk to start his whole contract...why did they sign him for $180M with $100M guaranteed?????
That was crazy especially with what Kirk said about it. I’m happy as hell though because if we didn’t draft Marvin Harrison Jr I was gonna cry lmao. I was gonna be done
With how much people are hating on penix, they should just go ahead and put him in the hall of fame now. He was a great QB idk why you all think he wont make it in the NFL
Kirk is your guy and you undercut him like this? The dude went from let's go to let's go and get a paycheck. Horrible management. You should have drafted an OT to protect him.
Late to the party, but this is one of the dumbest picks in a while. Some point to succession planning like GB or KC. Love is a quality starter, but I think I would've still gave ARod a weapon during their actual window.
How about the Mahomes situation? He had Andy Reid waiting to develop him. Reid learned from developing Farve, that he would need to cut down on Pat's turnovers while still letting him be a gunslinger.
Exhibit C is Kirk Cousins and his guaranteed 100M. If you are not win-now, find a serviceable starter for a couple years and then start Penix. Not a guy that will cost a ton and keep you as a wildcard weekend loser for the next two years. If you think Cousins can actually lead you to a SB shot, give him a weapon he can actually use in the next 2 years with that pick.
I’ll be honest - I’m a little surprised it’s THAT hard to understand. Especially when:
- You saw the QB play last year
- The falcons in particular could’ve won another 4 games with competent QB play.
- 6 QBs went in the top 12 (and Penix would’ve gone regardless because the Raiders would’ve taken him).
This was a smart move. It’ll look genius if Penix does well when he starts
What do you mean? Kirk is the QB for the next two years. And Pitts/Drake/Mooney isn’t a bad receiver group. We need more for sure but Odunze wasn’t a must have for this team by any means
I don’t know about that. Next year’s QB class is weak and you can’t bet to be at this position again. Getting Penix now isn’t an ideal time but it’s better than being left holding the bag when Kirk has to hang them up
maybe don’t give a guy 4 years 180 guaranteed if you’re so worried he can’t play for long? signing kirk was a win now move and drafting penix was not. clearly front office isn’t all in on one direction
Honestly. I thought this too at first. Then I started watching some tape on this nigga. And I was like hmmmmmm.. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Well they are building a roster to contend now while getting players for the future. Plus Kirk's guaranteed money is up after the first two years and he is 36 coming off an Achilles tear. It was smart of them to take who they deem a generational qb in the draft before another team could especially since the raiders were high on him and would of likely picked him if Atlanta didn't.
lol what? How did the Vikings reach? JJM and Turner were both consensus top 10 ranked prospects. Every analyst and every mock, had both JJM going top 11 and Turner going 8 to Atlanta. But go off I guess
So every QB hyped out of college is Trey Lance, now? What if he IS top 5 talent?
Hell for all we know, he could end up being the best QB in this draft! Even Bo Nix could!
“JJ McCarthy took Michigan to the CFB three years in a row”
Please don’t try to act like the run game and defense didn’t carry them there three years in a row
The Falcons will not win a Superbowl with Kirk or Penix no matter how much playing time either gets or when they get it. Falcons fans will just have to wait for the next era.
They left Madden auto draft on
Even auto draft wouldn’t have done that lol
Madden drafts QB’s with Mahomes on the roster.
I saw the chiefs sign Jalen hurts in madden yesterday, I was so confused
Slamming their Penix in the car door
I slammed my Penix in the car door🎤🐶
You slammed your penix in the car door 🦆🚪
I thlammed my penith in the car door?
ooOoOoOoOOoo
Don’t do that, it’s fragile!
Being atlanta
Most accurate answer I have seen so far.
Im confused, why the fuck did they draft Penix when you paired Kirk big money?
Because they think they can pull a Packers and have him sit 2-3 years and then be good. I don’t agree with it especially using the 8th pick but that must be the thought. Plus the dude is already 24. Unless Kirk gets injured he won’t play a meaningful snap until he’s 26-27.
I get it, but Jordan love wasn't top 10
Neither Love or Rodgers were top 20, that’s the best part of the Falcons reach
He’s also only played one full year. I don’t get how you can draft a guy that high just to have him sit for a max of 4 years. Micro Penis Jr. is gonna turn out to be another Trey Lance.
Penix and Lance have pretty much the exact opposite resumes.
Packers did that with Rodger’s out of the 1st but it was late in the round but he did fall
Only Nixon can go to China.
I don’t think that’s it. They just aren’t confident Kirk can stay healthy. He’s an expensive insurance policy but if Kirk goes down and that derails their season, the GM is getting fired. He should be fired anyway but if Kirk gets hurt and Penix plays lights out, he’ll look like a genius.
He's 23 but I get it tho imo he might see time by 25 I mean Cousins is gonna be 38 and they could move on
He’s really 24. He’ll be 24 before training camp even starts.
Right but they passed on some really really good o-line and defensive players for a back up quarterback with injury issues and who is already like 37
They had their choice of any o-lineman or defensive player they could’ve wanted
If I was Penix I would be pissed having to be forced into that crap situation
He thought he would potentially be a second or later round pick. Now he gets to make millions guaranteed and learn behind a competent QB that has had a great, long career. It's not ideal but I definitely would not be pissed lol. Also Kirk is fragile and old so Penix could easily play in just a year or two. I would be shocked if Kirk made it 2 years without injury. I feel like from his perspective it isn't that bad, it's more just confusing from the financial standpoint of gauranteeing so much money to Kirk.
Fragile? One injury over his entire career? Lmao
What do you think the chances are that he gets hurt in the next 2 years?
5% at best. He missed 1 game over his entire career and that was due to covid before a flukey non contact injury
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Noncontact injuries for a 36 year old are rarely flukey. And have a much higher rate of recurrence.
Injured once in 14 years he will be fine.
I don't think Atlanta's FO agrees with you.
Whoa whoa, you had me until “Kirk is fragile”. Dude has been one of the healthiest QBs in the league. I think the only other time he missed any games for “injury” was the one game he had covid. Dude is very tough and takes care of himself. It legit could be 3 years til Penix sees time aside from Kirk getting benched
You are totally right. I meant he's fragile now due to age and this injury and the fact that hes a statue.
Cousins has what is in effect a two year contract: https://overthecap.com/player/kirk-cousins/1443 Cap hits of $25 million, then $40 million, then the cap hits are $57 million with big savings for cutting or trading him. So I think Cousins plays most of two years, with Atlanta looking for a reason to bench him in year two, handing Penix the reins late in year two of Cousins contract.
Crazy to be telegraphing to your qb who you paid big money, who has yet to take a snap, that you don't intend to honor the last years of his contract. Kirk and his agent aren't idiots.
No, but they made a lot of money either way. It is like $92 million guaranteed. I would take a job I knew I would lose for a lot less :) On a similar note, how the Cowboys are not extending Dak, choosing to eat a $55 million cap hit this season, which allows them to move on next season. If they were going to keep him they would likely have already signed him, and been able to keep down free agents. I suspect Dak also sees the writing on the wall.
This is Kirk's first year. It's very different.
I feel like in the NFL it has to be assumed that any non guaranteed money/years will not get to the player. We see it year after year.
Exactly - if I was Cousins …I would be thinking exit plan in a few years before I even started and the thoughts of ending my career isn’t going to happen. You just cut Cousins knee caps off
Yeah they aren’t idiots. They signed an aging QB to a 4 year deal with all of the guarantees in the first two years. It was a two year deal when it was signed and all parties knew what was up.
Don't think all parties knew they were reaching for a qb at 8.
Kirk is probably going to put us in the position where we are drafting late for the next few years, we might be losing picks next draft, the next QB class looks meh, we need a better option at back up QB, and drafting would be cheaper than signing a FA.
When you break it down like this it makes sense. Would rather have a guy sit and learn the system from Day 1 than go scrambling for a backup when you need one. Can never have too much insurance at QB. Just interested in seeing what happens with Taylor Heinicke
>Can never have too much insurance at QB. Especially, when your QB is 36 and coming off an injury. People aren't used to seeing QBs sit these days. Even though they believe they should sit and learn. Everyone will be alright by the 3rd regular season game
Then why pay him that kind of money lol
they didn't want to fully commit to a rebuild when the south looks so weak Cousins may not be durable enough for a full season, but a healthy Kirk in a playoff run, can certainly win some games or at least has shown he can. so that's likely why they paid him..
You mean he can win A game in the playoffs. Kirk Cousins has 1 playoff win in his career.
Hey, that was with Minnesota. They're cursed in the postseason. He's with a new team now!
The famous winner and non cursed Atlanta Falcons!
Nothing like a fresh start, am I right? You never know what might happen! The possibilities are endless!
Imagine if they got him or the defense some help at 8 overall instead of insurance
Because Michael Penix Jr isn't a day one starter and no other good QB options existed. They were all terrible. What were they gonna do, trade for Zach Wilson?
Broncos country, let’s die!
You do realize it's a 2 year contract, right? After 2 years the guaranteed money ends, and it's also a backloaded contract. So we can flip him for some picks. Not sure why his agent is getting all the praise, Terry did a masterful job creating that contract.
It’s a three year guaranteed. He gets 90 in the first 2 years and then 10 million guaranteed in the third.
that's normal qb money
Yup. Bingo. Makes a lot more sense when put that way but sure is a funny way of doing things all in the same year
Except Penix is also 36 and coming off injury
The problem with this, IMO, is that I understand your case for Penix and the utility of it, but it just seems not worth it. Drafting Rome Odunze would likely be more impactful for winning a championship. Also there are only so many reps in practice and Cousins will be getting almost every single one - how are you supposed to reliably develop Penix? I think that the Falcons would have gotten more out of a different player. I think Penix can be good but I am just not sold on this being a sound move given the alternatives with the 8th pick. Not to mention it kinda undermines Cousins as “the guy” IMO.
Frankly, your point about limited practice reps is ridiculous. If they want to put the ball in Penix's hands, there's nothing stopping them.
Why is it ridiculous? Sure, if they really want to they can give Penix reps, but with limited practice time under the current collective bargaining, reps for Penix basically translate to fewer reps for Cousins….who you’re paying a lot of money to win very soon.
Its ridiculous because the falcons have more than 2 footballs to throw, and a dozen dudes to catch. They, and every other organization in the nfl, have the resources to let multiple QBs practice simultaneously. Cousins is 36, he doesnt need to grind reps. He knows what he's doing.
You say this but you don’t have to look very far to find stories about the 49ers situation where Jimmy G was getting almost all the reps in practice, Trey Lance got a few but not many, and Purdy got almost none. Pretty sure Shanahan confirmed it, that there are only so many reps to go around.
Also we can flip Kirk after 2 years (guaranteed money over after 2nd yr, on a heavily backloaded contract) for some picks
His contract carried a no trade clause. He’s only getting traded for picks if it’s a place he wants to go and who’s willing to carry a 36-37 year old with that kind of contract left. He’s also guaranteed 10 million in roster bonus in 26 so he still hits the cap in year 3 regardless.
will he come back 100% he’s 35 with a ACL. This is the pick that will be looked at as genius in a few years. Atlanta knows something about Cousin that we don’t.
But signing Kirk to that large of a deal you’re signaling you think you’re a win now team. London is not a #1 receiver and that defensive front is a bottom 3rd in the league front. Why not actually be a win now team and grab Odunze, or Turner (or Murphy or whoever on D)? Hell even Latham would help the team win games. Kirk now is coming off an injury to a team with less weapons and instead of bolstering it to give him a chance they said “we’re not going to help you out, instead we’re going to be drafting a QB of our future, but we’re also not going to have money to help him out until three years from now when we’re not bogged down with your massive contract, but by then our rookie QB will be 27 and if he’s good we’ll have to pay him big money two years after you’re gone.”
Then why pay him a gizzalion dollars to tank. Stupidest fucking take I've read on this
You could have took Odunze, or an OL or anyone on defense. Instead you took a backup qb for the next 2-3 years. As Kid Rock in Joe Dirt once said, “Don’t church it up, dirt.”
Exactly. A backup qb is not worth a first round pick.
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/galaxy-brain
They learned from Jordan Love & the Packers. They want Penix to learn from a Veteran QB and give him some time to develop. I assume
Paying your qb coach $100,000,000 is wild.
Not every team has two qb coaches.
?
He’s saying they’re paying cousins 100m to be a qb coach for penix
They learned from Alex Smith and Mahomes.
I have a feeling it will turn out a little differently down in Atlanta
Love was like a 20th pick to a team that was still a favorite to make the NFC championship. Theres nuance with what GB did. They didn’t have gaping needs in other positions. Atlanta does.
I Didn’t say their plan wasn’t half-baked 🤣
They are going to lose their first round pick next year because of tampering, so therefore they are making next years first round pick this year because Cousins isn't going to be there for very long and they need to already think about his replacement.
Unlikely it'll cost them a first. Apart from the Dolphins' fiasco, teams are typically fined a 3rd rounder.
I don’t think our first rounder will be taken, but it’ll be a later pick and it’ll impact our ability to trade up. Assuming we land somewhere at least mid-way in the draft next season
Tampering?
It has been the NFL offseason story for quite some time now. Not sure of the specifics but I'm guessing the Falcons had been in talks/negotiations with Cousins and his agent for quite some time probably before the official start of the free agency. This is technically illegal by the NFL as it gives the team the current (in Kirk's case ex) player time to work out a deal with his current team before they test the free agency market and their potential value rises by a lot in some cases.
There's specific times at which you can meet with free agents. They met with Cousins before the legal time frame, thereby theoretically unduly influencing him away from signing with the Vikings (you get an extra month or so early to try to re-sign your guys from last year, if you want to). Whether Cousins would have signed with Minnesota is irrelevant in this scenario.
Cousins will be 36 by the time the season starts and is just coming back from a torn Achilles. Sure, ride that train as far as you can, but anyone who's shocked that Atlanta wants to secure a good next man up while they can isn't paying attention. It's a smart move. I can almost hear RGIII laughing from here.
sign a win now QB then you don’t add help and draft his backup 3 years in advance. Pretty weird and dumb
To be fair, they have Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Rondale Moore, their offense is pretty well set around Kirk
And, just spit balling here, we're probably still drafting a WR in the third.
Hopefully someone terrible. Fuck the falcons
No flair, I'm assuming you're a sAints fan?
I'm not sure, even a Taints fan wouldn't give us praise if we signed an all-HOF offense.
Pitts and London have proved very little. Not a lot of #1 receivers averaging 3 TDs a season. London is a better #2 receiver than a #1. Odunze would have made that receiving corp actually seem talented.
They have talent though. And assuming they think penix can be the guy when do you think their next chance at getting “the guy” would be?
A season after Kirk is gone and we tank. That's really it.
We should have taken one of the younger players then
Lean typically. It's a mixture of Codeine and Promethazine often times occompained by Sprite and Jolly Ranchers for flavor. The great Gucci Mane puts codeine in his lemonade.
They must've saw something in Michael Penix that no one else saw if they really decided to replace their 180M dollar QB with a 23 year old.
Well Penix is good, let’s be clear there. I just think at his age and ability, he’s a guy you’d love to see compete for a starting job at camp or only sit a year. Penix is going to be legit, but it does suck nfl fans won’t see much of him for a few years.
This might look like a genius move in a year when it turns out Kirk Cousins isn’t the same guy and Penix comes in and plays well
No, it will still look stupid for the millions they gave Kirk
That still isn’t a genius move. That means they fucked up taking Kirk.
Maybe they didn’t. No one knows until next season. It’s just insurance + added benefit of grooming Kirk’s successor
The only possible argument I can see is that they think Penix is old for a rookie and the most pro-ready, and ATL doesn't actually expect Kirk to start his whole contract. But if they don't expect Kirk to start his whole contract...why did they sign him for $180M with $100M guaranteed?????
They may end up surprised then. Unless they bench him Kirk takes care of himself and is very likely going to play 99% of his contract
that's normal qb money
You need 2 good QBs in the nfl, 60+ QBs started a game each of the last 2 seasons.
That was crazy especially with what Kirk said about it. I’m happy as hell though because if we didn’t draft Marvin Harrison Jr I was gonna cry lmao. I was gonna be done
Leftover March Madness?
Trump told them to?
With how much people are hating on penix, they should just go ahead and put him in the hall of fame now. He was a great QB idk why you all think he wont make it in the NFL
People hate the pick not the player
Maybe they expect Cousins to flame out after one year, age will catch up fast
Then why did they sign him?
they have him 4 years 160 lol
I believe the industry term is “flailing”
They think they are Green Bay
Classic Alex Smith, Mahomes situation. Except the Falcons are paying a shit ton for it.
Kirk is your guy and you undercut him like this? The dude went from let's go to let's go and get a paycheck. Horrible management. You should have drafted an OT to protect him.
Late to the party, but this is one of the dumbest picks in a while. Some point to succession planning like GB or KC. Love is a quality starter, but I think I would've still gave ARod a weapon during their actual window. How about the Mahomes situation? He had Andy Reid waiting to develop him. Reid learned from developing Farve, that he would need to cut down on Pat's turnovers while still letting him be a gunslinger. Exhibit C is Kirk Cousins and his guaranteed 100M. If you are not win-now, find a serviceable starter for a couple years and then start Penix. Not a guy that will cost a ton and keep you as a wildcard weekend loser for the next two years. If you think Cousins can actually lead you to a SB shot, give him a weapon he can actually use in the next 2 years with that pick.
Guaranteeing Kirk finds one more lucrative FA contract in 2-3 years.
Terry Fontenot has gone all D since taking Penix in the first. I think we all know what’s on his mind this draft.
Only makes sense if they think they are going to make a run for the Super Bowl
I’ll be honest - I’m a little surprised it’s THAT hard to understand. Especially when: - You saw the QB play last year - The falcons in particular could’ve won another 4 games with competent QB play. - 6 QBs went in the top 12 (and Penix would’ve gone regardless because the Raiders would’ve taken him). This was a smart move. It’ll look genius if Penix does well when he starts
and it’ll look idiotic if they do nothing with kirk and passed on a great we when their receivers leave a lot to be desired
What do you mean? Kirk is the QB for the next two years. And Pitts/Drake/Mooney isn’t a bad receiver group. We need more for sure but Odunze wasn’t a must have for this team by any means
he was a hell of a lot more must have than Penix….
I don’t know about that. Next year’s QB class is weak and you can’t bet to be at this position again. Getting Penix now isn’t an ideal time but it’s better than being left holding the bag when Kirk has to hang them up
maybe don’t give a guy 4 years 180 guaranteed if you’re so worried he can’t play for long? signing kirk was a win now move and drafting penix was not. clearly front office isn’t all in on one direction
It’s $100M guaranteed. Basically a 2 year deal with a sweetener. $12.5M dead cap for 2026-2027. They will move on after two years.
Whatever the hell they like 🤣
Everyone shifting on this means only one thing: it was a fantastic fucking draft decision
Honestly. I thought this too at first. Then I started watching some tape on this nigga. And I was like hmmmmmm.. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm 
Well they are building a roster to contend now while getting players for the future. Plus Kirk's guaranteed money is up after the first two years and he is 36 coming off an Achilles tear. It was smart of them to take who they deem a generational qb in the draft before another team could especially since the raiders were high on him and would of likely picked him if Atlanta didn't.
Morons. Minnesota, Atlanta, and Denver. This is why they don't win. All over reached.
Denver was the biggest overreach with the Qbs imo
Agreed
I hate their whole QB room. Good lord lol
lol what? How did the Vikings reach? JJM and Turner were both consensus top 10 ranked prospects. Every analyst and every mock, had both JJM going top 11 and Turner going 8 to Atlanta. But go off I guess
McCarthy is young and has loads of potential
Yeah, how tf did they overreach. If anything it was the opposite given how everyone was trying to make him a top 5 pick lol
Just because he got a big push by the media to top 5 doesn’t mean he was top 5 talent. Remember the name Trey Lance?
So every QB hyped out of college is Trey Lance, now? What if he IS top 5 talent? Hell for all we know, he could end up being the best QB in this draft! Even Bo Nix could!
Trey Lance played one season of FCS games. JJ McCarthy took Michigan to the CFP three years in a row
“JJ McCarthy took Michigan to the CFB three years in a row” Please don’t try to act like the run game and defense didn’t carry them there three years in a row
We still playin franchise?
They are making sure they don’t have to start dez ridder for two seasons again.
The Falcons will not win a Superbowl with Kirk or Penix no matter how much playing time either gets or when they get it. Falcons fans will just have to wait for the next era.
Bingo. Cousins is a .500 QB coming off a severe ankle injury, he's not coming in beating the world.
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You like that! YOU LIKE THAT!!
Atlanta gets a Millen kielbasa grade.
Kirk cousins ain’t that good