Falcons to Reportedly Cut Kirk Cousins Before March 17th

When the news broke of Kirk Cousins signing with Atlanta this offseason for four years and $180 million, many were left searching for answers as to why the Falcons would invest this type of money in an aging starter coming off a serious injury. Fast forward a couple of months, and even more people were left scratching their heads about the decision when the Falcons chose to use the eighth pick in the draft on Washington QB Michael Penix III. Since then, the discussion has largely revolved around "when" Penix will get his chance, not "if," as the veteran Cousins began to falter as the season progressed. This past week, Head Coach Raheem Morris finally made the decision to start the rookie and bench Cousins. This is a justified decision based on Cousins' most recent stretch of games, in which he has recorded 1 touchdown and 9 interceptions. Things have now taken yet another turn, as it seems the Falcons will be looking to cut Cousins before his $10 million bonus hits on March 17th.

A decision like this certainly brings into question the methods behind Atlanta’s madness and the people involved in it. If replacing Cousins was ultimately the end goal for Penix, why invest $180 million into a placeholder? It doesn’t make much sense, and now the Falcons are going to be stuck paying guaranteed money to Cousins over the next few years. Who's to say that Penix comes in and changes things for the better? I liked Penix III coming out of Washington and felt he was possibly the most pro-ready QB among the consensus top five prospects, outside of possibly Bo Nix at the time. Regardless, this franchise is placing a heavy burden on his shoulders, given how poorly they’ve handled this QB situation over the past year.

One thing that Penix has in his favor, at least for now, is that he’s set to make his first start against the New York Giants, who are a catastrophe in their own right. New York is decimated along the defense with injuries, with the likes of Dexter Lawrence and Bobby Okereke both sidelined. It will be a good test to see where Penix stands after having the opportunity to observe from the sidelines for the bulk of the season. At the very least, Michael’s debut will attract some attention to this game that otherwise wouldn’t draw interest in a matchup between a 7-7 team and a 2-12 team. Penix III will make his debut start at 1:00 PM EST at home on Sunday the 22nd.