Falcons Make Final Decision on Kirk Cousins for Week 16

The Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday night their plan behind center for the rest of the 2024 NFL season.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Michael Penix Jr. era has arrived.

The Atlanta Falcons announced through a statement from head coach Raheem Morris on Tuesday night that Penix will replace Kirk Cousins behind center for the rest of the 2024 NFL season.

"After review, we have made the decision Michael Penix Jr. will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward," read the statement. "This was a football decision, and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday's game against the New York Giants."

ESPN's Adam Schefter released the statement for the team on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

Statement from Falcons HC Raheem Morris: pic.twitter.com/qlcF0zIhZd

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2024

The Falcons drafted Penix at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. Sunday will be his third appearance during an NFL regular season game and first start in the league.

In his two previous appearances, Penix completed 3 of 5 passes for 38 yards. He doesn't have a touchdown or interception but has taken one sack.

The decision to bench Cousins came after the 36-year-old quarterback struggled mightily in the previous five games. He has tossed just one touchdown with nine interceptions since Nov. 10.

Cousins leads the NFL with 16 interceptions this season.

He led the Falcons to a 15-9 victory to end a 4-game losing streak Monday night. That moved the Falcons back to the .500 mark, and they are just one game out of a playoff spot in the NFC South.

But Cousins was just 11 of 17 with a touchdown and an interception versus the lowly Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. The Falcons blocked a punt and an extra point, partially blocked another punt and held the Raiders to under 100 offensiven yards into the fourth quarter. Yet, they still needed a defensive stand in the final minute to secure a victory.

It's unclear if the rookie gives the Falcons any better chance of making the playoffs than Cousins. But Cousins was playing badly enough that it made more sense for the franchise to begin their future at the sport's most important position.

The Falcons signed Cousins to a 4-year, $180 million contract in March. The only thing more surprising than the contract was the fact that six weeks later, the team then drafted Penix at No. 8 overall.

With that deal, Cousins is making $62.5 million in cash this year. The Falcons will likely try to trade him this offseason, but that could be very difficult given how he's performed this fall.

Cousins could take home $90 million from the Falcons after playing just 14 games.

There's a potential out with Cousins' contract after the 2025 season that the Falcons will surely take now. But they are on the hook with the deal next season.

In 2025, Cousins will have a cap hit of $40 million. If the Falcons release him, he will have a dead cap hit of $65 million.

Regardless of the consequences, Falcons fans will largely be pleased with the decision to bench Cousins. A lot of fans and pundits on social media have been calling for Penix to play for weeks.

At the University of Washington last season, Penix led the FBS with 4,903 passing yards. He also had 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while posting 8.8 yards per pass attempt.