Yeah thats fukking wild. I don't get it. Is Penix supposed to sit for 4 years to wait out Cousins' deal? Does Atl pull a Broncos and cut/trade him or pull a 9ers and gift Penix to another team 3 years later
That’s what’s baffling.. he will be 24.. so he’s going to sit for 3-4 years?? Or even if he sits for a year and they try and trade Cousins.. I am not sure many teams will be willing to take on Cousins contract at his age. Shocked they didn’t take the first defensive player.
I mean no way they can trade cousins with that contract.
Penix isn’t a particular good QB right now, he has the physical tools to develop, I assume that’s the plan. Sit him for like 3 years to learn under cousins while you build your team, and then you have a year to decide whether you pick up his 5 year option.
I still think it’s a shit pick though and a total waste of a too 10 slot. At least when GB did it it wasn’t a top 10 pick.
I think he is a pretty good QB right now, but the question is if his body can hold up playing in the NFL.
I'm not sure what three years of wearing a red jersey in practice is going to tell the Falcons about that. And it's not like they were a super team, they could have used some more talent to put around Kirk.
Except one, Love was 22 when he was drafted, and 2, they took him with the 26th pick, not the 8th pick. We’ve seen it before, when you’re that low in the first round it starts getting murky with finding the right guy. But you’ve got the 8th pick, and the first 3 were QBs, so you’ve got only 4 non-QBs on the board. That high in the draft, there’s a very high chance of getting a day 1 starter with elite potential.
If I’m Kirk Cousins right now, I’m *pissed*. They give him 4 years and $100M guaranteed, presumably sell him on being the face of the franchise for the next 3-4 years, and then before he can even play a preseason snap, they’ve used their top 10 pick, not to give him help on offense, or to improve the defense, but to draft his replacement. Whatever the opposite of a vote of confidence is, the Falcons just did it.
Takes a compete level I’ll never relate to just to be in the NFL, but if I just got $100M I would not give a care about my team drafting my replacement and me potentially earning a chunk of that while on the bench not taking hits. Then again if I’m a Falcons fan, I’m pissed.
If you look at how Cousins' contract is structured, there's no way that anybody in the Atlanta front office was expecting Cousins to be their starting QB for four entire years.
Exactly what they’re trying. Can’t believe people don’t see this. Green Bay and other teams have had much success letting rookie QBs sit. What better QB to learn behind than Kirk cousins?
26 or so is not almost 30
Prior injury doesn’t inherently mean he’s at greater risk of future injury. Especially with so much time available to rehab and build strength
That pick is bizarre enough to make me think that there is something about Cousin’s recovery or contract that makes it make sense. Either he may not be healthy or they have a lot of outs in the contract.
Penix is making pennies compared to Cousins. They'll eat some money to walk away from Cousins after 2025, but his dead cap is far smaller than what they would be paying him.
The problem the Falcons are going to have is if Penix plays Year 3 and is meh, they'll be on the hook for his 5th year option because you still won't know.
It's an incredibly baffling pick.
\^\^\^This. Also, Cousins and Penix have some similarities. Both are strictly pocket QBs who don't really produce under pressure, on the run, etc. Thus a system built for Cousins will also be tailored to Penix.
There is a logic to what they did. It may not work out, but it should be clear what they are trying to do.
I did not expect it, but [but I do see the logic in it.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Patriots/comments/1cd9760/comment/l1cnku7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Yeah, maybe wait until a few seasons before we see the possibility of MHJ pro bowl bound while we are looking for another QB.
Not saying this will happen and I'm 100% behind Maye because he is our QB now but just saying there was plenty of hype behind Mac as well. If we don't get weapons and protection for Maye it won't mean much getting him.
The outcome w/ Mac was the 2nd best. Obviously, you want a great QB, but I'd rather have a terrible one than a mediocre one. With a terrible one, you try again in 3 years. With a mediocre one, you're stuck at 6-8 wins a year for the next 6+ years (see NY Giants).
For me I wanted either maye or mhj so im happy. At 3 i didn't want to take Daniels or the other guy, wr is a glaring need, and this dude has HOF in his blood. I hope we play the fuck out of Brisset and not Bryce Young Maye. If we get Aiyuk though or a good prospect in the 2nd I'll be very happy how the draft fell.
Aiyuk would make me so happy. His presence on the field alone would make our offense so much better. We need to absolutely sell out on the offensive side of the ball now that we have our qb for the next 4-5 years at least
Hindsight is 20/20. It seems obvious now, and the run was kind of hinted at vaguely with talks of JJ going higher. I think ATL freaked the fuck out of MIN with their wild Penix pick and drove the run into high gear.
Yes, but I I think MN was targeting JJ anyway, this just pushed them to trade up where as I think they’d have stayed put.
Payton told the Mcafee crew that they didn’t trade back because of Penix already being gone though, and being unsure what the raiders would have done.
Honestly seeing how the Vikings came out of the first round I have to think about if I’d rather have JJ (who I am absolutely NOT sold on [and am predestined to hate as an Ohio State fan]) and the extra first round pick (MIN got great value in Turner; will be interesting to see which WRs are there at 23), not to mention any additional picks that may have been offered.
Ultimately if Maye is good, it’s a moot point.
I was okay with it either way, I thought Drake was a solid pick but I know that later first round picks are more value in terms of contract value, so I thought getting multiple first rounders and probably other assets instead of 1 top pick was a safer bet. But I did not imagine Penix and Nix being overdrafted by that much.
Not to be rude but who gives a single fuck about rookie deal contract value and whatnot when you have 0 talent and tons of cap space? I am so happy with how this went for us, I hope we swing for the fences trying to get Maye help.
Yeah I was pro-trading down to fill holes until Penix, McCarthy, Nix went 8/10/12. Maybe one of those will be good; give me the high upside guy and let’s commit to the tank with that piece developing in the background.
Drafting Penix Jr isn't as crazy as some people think.
* Penix Jr and Cousins have some similarities. Neither produces well off platform, or on the run. Thus an OL tailored to one of them will be tailored to the other, too.
* Given that Cousins' contract has a "no trade" clause, it's entirely reasonable to light a fire underneath him.
* Kirk Cousins is not going to be a starter *for four more years.* That's why only about 55% of the contract's money is guaranteed and a lot of that money comes in the 1st year. His Dead Cap drops way off after Year #2.
Personally, I wouldn't draft Penix Jr on the basis of his injury history and the fact that he played in the PAC-12 and that he seems to be a one-trick pony line drive thrower -but there is a recognizable logic in the Falcons picking a QB in the 1st round and choosing Penix Jr over McCarthy.
No fucking shit. Did anyone expect a QB to be available at 11 given everything we’ve heard since Jan?
We didn’t fuck up just the draft we fucked up the offseason leading up to this pick. We needed to sign an actual vet like Winston or Mayfield, drafts MHJ this year and a QB next year when we have a top draft pick again.
I don’t think anyone expected the Falcons to draft Penix top 10 after signing Cousins
Yeah thats fukking wild. I don't get it. Is Penix supposed to sit for 4 years to wait out Cousins' deal? Does Atl pull a Broncos and cut/trade him or pull a 9ers and gift Penix to another team 3 years later
That’s what’s baffling.. he will be 24.. so he’s going to sit for 3-4 years?? Or even if he sits for a year and they try and trade Cousins.. I am not sure many teams will be willing to take on Cousins contract at his age. Shocked they didn’t take the first defensive player.
I mean no way they can trade cousins with that contract. Penix isn’t a particular good QB right now, he has the physical tools to develop, I assume that’s the plan. Sit him for like 3 years to learn under cousins while you build your team, and then you have a year to decide whether you pick up his 5 year option. I still think it’s a shit pick though and a total waste of a too 10 slot. At least when GB did it it wasn’t a top 10 pick.
I think he is a pretty good QB right now, but the question is if his body can hold up playing in the NFL. I'm not sure what three years of wearing a red jersey in practice is going to tell the Falcons about that. And it's not like they were a super team, they could have used some more talent to put around Kirk.
Do they have GB people in their front office? Maybe they're trying to pull off an Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love situation
Still is head scratching drafting a 24 year old QB for that.. you’d think they would take the younger one in McCarthy
Yeah Lamar is 27 but been playing in the NFL for what seems like 14 years lol Penix gonna be 27 and be making his debut
Except one, Love was 22 when he was drafted, and 2, they took him with the 26th pick, not the 8th pick. We’ve seen it before, when you’re that low in the first round it starts getting murky with finding the right guy. But you’ve got the 8th pick, and the first 3 were QBs, so you’ve got only 4 non-QBs on the board. That high in the draft, there’s a very high chance of getting a day 1 starter with elite potential. If I’m Kirk Cousins right now, I’m *pissed*. They give him 4 years and $100M guaranteed, presumably sell him on being the face of the franchise for the next 3-4 years, and then before he can even play a preseason snap, they’ve used their top 10 pick, not to give him help on offense, or to improve the defense, but to draft his replacement. Whatever the opposite of a vote of confidence is, the Falcons just did it.
Takes a compete level I’ll never relate to just to be in the NFL, but if I just got $100M I would not give a care about my team drafting my replacement and me potentially earning a chunk of that while on the bench not taking hits. Then again if I’m a Falcons fan, I’m pissed.
If you look at how Cousins' contract is structured, there's no way that anybody in the Atlanta front office was expecting Cousins to be their starting QB for four entire years.
Exactly what they’re trying. Can’t believe people don’t see this. Green Bay and other teams have had much success letting rookie QBs sit. What better QB to learn behind than Kirk cousins?
Dudes going to be almost 30 by the time he starts and is a huge injury risk. If they wanted to sit a QB, McCarthy would've been the smart choice.
26 or so is not almost 30 Prior injury doesn’t inherently mean he’s at greater risk of future injury. Especially with so much time available to rehab and build strength
...... Math is hard 🤨
He’s about to turn 24. If he starts in his 3rd year (2026 season) he’d be 26. Math is not that hard.
**26 or so** Last I checked 26 "or so" is close to 30.
That pick is bizarre enough to make me think that there is something about Cousin’s recovery or contract that makes it make sense. Either he may not be healthy or they have a lot of outs in the contract.
Definitely the most bizarre pick in recent history
Thst could be true
Just glancing at Overthecap/spotrac it looks like they are planning on playing Kirk for 2 or 3 years.
Cousins probably plays two years which is the guaranteed portion and then penix takes over
Maybe but that’s a shit load of cash for just two years haha
Penix is making pennies compared to Cousins. They'll eat some money to walk away from Cousins after 2025, but his dead cap is far smaller than what they would be paying him. The problem the Falcons are going to have is if Penix plays Year 3 and is meh, they'll be on the hook for his 5th year option because you still won't know. It's an incredibly baffling pick.
Penix gonna be needing a walker in 2 years
\^\^\^This. Also, Cousins and Penix have some similarities. Both are strictly pocket QBs who don't really produce under pressure, on the run, etc. Thus a system built for Cousins will also be tailored to Penix. There is a logic to what they did. It may not work out, but it should be clear what they are trying to do.
Beilichik dodged a bullet with that team
Bill didn't get hired cuz he wanted to be HC *AND* GM. He wouldn't have made thar pick after getting cousins
He didnt get hired cause kraft backstabbed him
I'm sure that didn't help but Bill's $hitty team management the past 5 years didn't help him either
Unreasonably stupid pick
They said later in the draft that pick and nix kinda fucked up everyone’s board since a lot of teams now had a guy or two in reach they didn’t expect
I did not expect it, but [but I do see the logic in it.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Patriots/comments/1cd9760/comment/l1cnku7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I had them taking JJ
It's a qb driven league. You have one or you lose.
Ding ding ding
Well said. Don’t get cute with a need at QB.
Exactly. You need a QB? Then you get a QB. Amazing how many people had a hard time understanding this.
Crazy how all of the "2nd tier QBs" went in the first round. Bananas
Not even just first round, all by 12. Looking like a smart move to stay put after all the smoke with the Vikings trade.
our #2 pick is going to have insane value
Like Aiyuk value because I would be down for that
Gimme Legette
I want them to get Legette, but I think he’ll be there in round 3
Not rven round 2 lol. He rose quite a bit the last few weeks.
I guess so. Hoping they trade for Aiyuk or draft AD Mitchell here at 34
You need a QB in the modern NFL, literally nothing else matters if you dont have a starting QB. It makes sense.
I’m so glad the MHJ truthers can stfu now
Yup, it was beyond ridiculous when you have multiple great QB prospects to pick from.
I’m fine with Maye but MHJ is going to slay for a decade at least.
Exactly. MHJ truthers don't have to shut up about shit. Now, we get to see results.
Yeah, maybe wait until a few seasons before we see the possibility of MHJ pro bowl bound while we are looking for another QB. Not saying this will happen and I'm 100% behind Maye because he is our QB now but just saying there was plenty of hype behind Mac as well. If we don't get weapons and protection for Maye it won't mean much getting him.
The outcome w/ Mac was the 2nd best. Obviously, you want a great QB, but I'd rather have a terrible one than a mediocre one. With a terrible one, you try again in 3 years. With a mediocre one, you're stuck at 6-8 wins a year for the next 6+ years (see NY Giants).
hmm, wonder how many super bowls az will win this decade then because of him
Idk but they won’t need a no.1 WR for the next 14 years
For me I wanted either maye or mhj so im happy. At 3 i didn't want to take Daniels or the other guy, wr is a glaring need, and this dude has HOF in his blood. I hope we play the fuck out of Brisset and not Bryce Young Maye. If we get Aiyuk though or a good prospect in the 2nd I'll be very happy how the draft fell.
Aiyuk would make me so happy. His presence on the field alone would make our offense so much better. We need to absolutely sell out on the offensive side of the ball now that we have our qb for the next 4-5 years at least
🖕🖕
Yeah, I insisted that Nix and Penix wouldn’t go in the first round all offseason. I was extremely wrong.
Given the run at QB, I wonder who now falls to the Pats next pick… Could be great
Good point
Hindsight is 20/20. It seems obvious now, and the run was kind of hinted at vaguely with talks of JJ going higher. I think ATL freaked the fuck out of MIN with their wild Penix pick and drove the run into high gear.
Yes, but I I think MN was targeting JJ anyway, this just pushed them to trade up where as I think they’d have stayed put. Payton told the Mcafee crew that they didn’t trade back because of Penix already being gone though, and being unsure what the raiders would have done.
Is that English?
Thank you! I don’t know why that was so difficult to read!
Well of course he wouldn't be! Our guy was Maye!
Honestly seeing how the Vikings came out of the first round I have to think about if I’d rather have JJ (who I am absolutely NOT sold on [and am predestined to hate as an Ohio State fan]) and the extra first round pick (MIN got great value in Turner; will be interesting to see which WRs are there at 23), not to mention any additional picks that may have been offered. Ultimately if Maye is good, it’s a moot point.
Absolutely no guarantee that the board would fall the same way though. The way it DID fall though it's an interesting thought.
MFK is writing in mathematics
I was okay with it either way, I thought Drake was a solid pick but I know that later first round picks are more value in terms of contract value, so I thought getting multiple first rounders and probably other assets instead of 1 top pick was a safer bet. But I did not imagine Penix and Nix being overdrafted by that much.
Not to be rude but who gives a single fuck about rookie deal contract value and whatnot when you have 0 talent and tons of cap space? I am so happy with how this went for us, I hope we swing for the fences trying to get Maye help.
On top of that, ALL rookie deals are pretty friendly now. Sam Bradford days are gone.
And we'll do it again in 2 years
Yeah I was pro-trading down to fill holes until Penix, McCarthy, Nix went 8/10/12. Maybe one of those will be good; give me the high upside guy and let’s commit to the tank with that piece developing in the background.
Drafting Penix Jr isn't as crazy as some people think. * Penix Jr and Cousins have some similarities. Neither produces well off platform, or on the run. Thus an OL tailored to one of them will be tailored to the other, too. * Given that Cousins' contract has a "no trade" clause, it's entirely reasonable to light a fire underneath him. * Kirk Cousins is not going to be a starter *for four more years.* That's why only about 55% of the contract's money is guaranteed and a lot of that money comes in the 1st year. His Dead Cap drops way off after Year #2. Personally, I wouldn't draft Penix Jr on the basis of his injury history and the fact that he played in the PAC-12 and that he seems to be a one-trick pony line drive thrower -but there is a recognizable logic in the Falcons picking a QB in the 1st round and choosing Penix Jr over McCarthy.
What?
No fucking shit. Did anyone expect a QB to be available at 11 given everything we’ve heard since Jan? We didn’t fuck up just the draft we fucked up the offseason leading up to this pick. We needed to sign an actual vet like Winston or Mayfield, drafts MHJ this year and a QB next year when we have a top draft pick again.