'We're Good': Falcons QBs Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. Live on Same Street

Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., once pitted against each other on the outside, live in the same neighborhood and have a relationship Penix described as "good."

Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. live in the same neighborhood in Suwanee, Georgia. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. may see each other more than their own families. Now, the two passers will see each other with their families.

After the Falcons' first joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday at Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens, Penix said he lives on the same street as Cousins, who closed on a house in early May in Suwanee, Ga.

Cousins, his wife and two kids didn't get fully moved into their home until the summer break between OTAs in mid-June and training camp in late July, but they had already purchased the spot. Penix, who spoke on the unofficial final day of mandatory minicamp June 11, said at the time he hadn't bought a house.

But now, Penix has a spot -- and according to Cousins, the rookie chose well.

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"It's a great community and I would tell you it's easily the nicest place I've ever lived in my life," Cousins said after practice Wednesday. "I remember when my parents came to visit, we drove through the neighborhood and they said, ‘We didn't know it was this nice. This is a really nice neighborhood.’

"I said, ‘Yeah, it is,’ so we feel blessed to be there."

The neighborhood's connections to the Falcons and NFL extend beyond Cousins and Penix, as Falcons offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, former Falcons quarterback Matt Schaub and NFL Hall of Fame defensive lineman Richard Seymour all reside in the same area. Cousins joked he hopes Seymour's success rubs off on him in the coming years.

Cousins added there are also a few baseball players who live nearby, but it remains, as he framed it, a "Falcons neighborhood."

For Cousins and Penix, living on the same street is the continuation of their close-by-affiliation relationship. Atlanta gave Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract this spring to be its franchise quarterback for the present, and then drafted Penix at No. 8 overall a month and a half later to be its future solution under center.

As a result, the two have been linked together ever since, for better or worse. They are also roommates in a dorm at Falcons headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga., along with third-string quarterback Taylor Heinicke and tight end Kyle Pitts.

Penix, serving his traditional rookie requirements, brought Cousins trail mix to their training camp suite. The two spend several hours together each day in the meeting room, taking notes and reviewing film.

And so, while their relationship started with a coating of ice over a situation deemed awkward by those on the outside, the Falcons' top two signal callers have formed a strong pairing.

"We're good, man," Penix said. "Me and Kirk (are) cool. We both want the same goal, and that's to see this team win football games. He's the starter right now and I'm the No. 2. I'm just continuing to learn, continuing to grow each and every day."

Cousins and Penix are like-minded, Falcons coach Raheem Morris believes. They're driven, team-first individuals on the field. Away from football, they're both film junkies who are early to sleep.

And now, they share one more similarity -- the drive to work each day.