Kirk Cousins Reportedly Didn't Return to Minnesota Partly Because the Vikings Told Him They Were Drafting a Quarterback and Then the Falcons Did the Same Thing Without Telling Him

Sports Illustrated — I do have one last take on the Atlanta Falcons’ handling of the quarterback situation. And that’s that I would 100% understand if Kirk Cousins is still stinging a bit from the whole ordeal.

Here’s why—a reason he decided to leave Minnesota is because the Vikings were very up front with the 35-year-old about the possibility that, even in the case he stayed, they’d take a quarterback of the future high in the draft. Tying that together with the team’s willingness to guarantee part, but not all, of a second year on another contract, Cousins figured that, if he stayed, there was a good shot that he’d be on the move in 2025.

I know Cousins appreciated how open the Vikings were about their draft strategy, even if it meant him leaving.

So if you were him, how would you feel when that call came, as his new team was on the clock, to explain how the Falcons were taking his heir apparent, Michael Penix Jr., with the eighth pick? Now, I do understand why Atlanta felt the need to keep it quiet, and why GM Terry Fontenot’s experience in New Orleans in 2017, when the Chiefs knew the Saints coveted Patrick Mahomes and jumped ahead of them to get him, marked the decision not to tell Cousins of their plans.

Leave it to the Atlanta Falcons to go from having no quarterback in 2023 to both a high-priced free agent and a Top 10 pick in 2024, with the presence of the latter seemingly pissing off the former. Desmond Ridder was so shitty that he is still fucking the Falcons from beyond the grave.

The more I've thought about the entire Michael Penix situation, the less I hate it. To be clear, I still definitely hate it, just not as much as before. There is at least a somewhat rational argument for it. However, if it's going to cause a rift in the locker room with the guy you just paid at least $100 million to be your starting quarterback for the next several seasons, then I hate it maximally again.

I get why Atlanta wanted to keep its quarterback desire relatively quiet, but who was Kirk Cousins going to tell? That's probably a guy that you should have given a heads up at least a few days before the draft. And if he doesn't like it, fine, but at least he knows before he sees it on ESPN.

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I hope this situation works and Cousins is great for a couple seasons and then Penix steps in at the ripe, young age of 26 and lights it up. I don't know that I think that's likely to happen, but it is still a possibility. We are choosing joy in 2024.