Kirk Cousins Breaks Silence on Atlanta Falcons Drafting Michael Penix Jr.

Kirk Cousins Reacts to Question on Whether 'Beef' Exists With Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

NFL media made a big deal about Kirk Cousins’s apparently negative reaction to the Atlanta Falcons drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. Therefore, the veteran signal caller will likely face a lot of questions about his relationship with Penix and his new team during offseason workouts.

But in one of his first public opportunities since the draft, Cousins squashed the idea that he will have lingering bad feelings toward the Falcons’ decision to select Penix.

“No, and I don’t think there can be,” Cousins said on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast to a question about whether there was any beef between him in the team. “We’re trying to win the Super Bowl, and it’s hard enough. So let’s all be on the same page and let’s go try to win a Super Bowl.”

Kirk Cousins speaks on the Atlanta Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr.

“There are things you can control, and there’s a lot of things you don’t control”

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Cousins also emphasized that he is focusing only on what he can control. He also stressed that dealing with a quarterback situation that’s a little uncomfortable isn’t unusual to him or in the league.

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“You’re reminded again that there are things you control, and there are a lot of things you don’t control,” added Cousins.

“This isn’t a foreign concept. There’s an awareness that this is the NFL. Anything can happen. Do kind of what I’ve always done as a player and let the chips fall where they may.”

Cousins entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick for Washington in the 2012 NFL draft. In the same draft class, Washington selected quarterback Robert Griffin III at No. 2 overall.

Griffin won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But at the end of his first season, he suffered a serious knee injury and was never the same.

Cousins made spot starts for Washington over his first three seasons. He then became the team’s starter in 2015. Three years later, Cousins received the first-ever fully guaranteed NFL contract from the Minnesota Vikings.

Clearly, Cousins is equipped with the experience to overcome the adversity the Penix pick offers. But he may have been trying to avoid needing to.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that one reason Cousins left Minnesota this offseason was because the team told him it planned to draft his successor. Ironically, that’s exactly what happened in Atlanta despite the Falcons signing Cousins to a $180 million deal.

No one would be surprised if Cousins holds a little resentment toward Atlanta’s decision to draft Penix. After all, he won’t help Cousins win the Super Bowl in 2024.

So, Cousins is likely going to need to continue  expressing no beef exists between himself and the Falcons. His next opportunity to do so will come in front of reporters at the Falcons facility.