Emmanuel Acho thinks Falcons Handled Cousins, Penix 'to Perfection'

The Atlanta Falcons have been widely criticized for wasting resources trying to fix their quarterback room, but FS1's Emmanuel Acho thinks they handled it perfectly.

Michael Penix Jr. gives Sam Darnold a hug. Both players replaced former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have been roundly criticized for how they attacked their quarterback problem in the offseason. Signing a 36-year-old quarterback coming off an injury to $90 million and then drafting his backup right away didn’t seem like the best allocation of resources. 

However, not all of the reactions have been negative. As Fox Sports 1’s Emmanuel Acho put it, the “Atlanta Falcons have executed their Quarterback situation to perfection.” 

The Atlanta Falcons have executed their Quarterback situation to perfection, here are all the reasons why:

pic.twitter.com/D2kzAqWqrG

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 18, 2024

“The Facility”, featuring former NFL players Acho (most notably known for his time with the Texas Longhorns), James Jones (Packers), Chase Daniel (14-year NFL backup quarterback), and LeSean McCoy (six-time Pro Bowl running back) provided this bold-hot take. 

“You drafted Michael Penix in the event Kirk Cousins got hurt,” said Acho revising history a bit. “Well, Kirk Cousins is playing like he’s hurt. Eight interceptions, no touchdowns in the previous-four games prior to last week, and then one touchdown, one interception in last week’s game….He’s playing like he’s hurt, treat him like he’s hurt, bench him like he’s hurt.” 

Admittedly, had not thought of it like that. The Jets went all-in on Aaron Rodgers in 2023, and their season ended on their first offensive series. 

How would everyone feel from a roster management standpoint if Cousins had just gone down with season-ending injury on Sunday versus being healthy benched by head coach Raheem Morris?

Acho tests murky waters with some selective what-if scenarios.  

“This was a perfect situation and scenario for the Falcons,” said Acho. “What bridge quarterbacks were you going to find that were going to have you at .500 (7-7) through 15 weeks? None. Aiden O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, they weren’t going to have you there. Drew Lock wasn’t going to have you there. Justin Fields on this Falcons roster, he wasn’t going to have you there.” 

He is not wrong. Those four quarterbacks with the possible exception of Fields, who the Falcons were heavily linked to before signing Cousins, are no bueno. 

Fields led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record before being replaced by Russell Wilson, who was also available as a possible-bridge quarterback in the offseason. 

Sam Darnold also has a pretty strong case, who the Vikings signed to bridge the gap between Cousins and 21-year-old rookie J.J. McCarthy. Darnold has surpassed everyone's expectations in leading Minnesota to a 12-2 record. 

Acho conveniently ignored the elephant in the room. Only in Brooklyn would you sign a bridge for $90-million guaranteed. Darnold got a one-year deal with $8.75-million guaranteed and Wilson is getting $1.21 million this season from the Steelers while the Denver Broncos eat the $85-million in dead money they already paid him for 2024 and 2025. 

Should FS1 have given the Falcons brass flowers like this? The question was never why Kirk Cousins or Michael Penix. The question was why Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix?

One of the quarterbacks Acho left out of the mix for the Falcons was Penix himself. Would Michael Penix have been able to lead this team to a 7-7 record through 14 games with an additional $90-million guaranteed invested in the rest of the roster? 

Fellow 24-year old rookies Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels have the Broncos and Commanders sitting at 9-5. Were their rosters considerably better than the Falcons to start the season?

It’s always fun to speculate. For now, Penix will get an abbreviated rookie season with the Cousins albatross of a contract hanging over the team’s head and playoff hopes clinging by a thread.