Mentor Kirk? Falcons Place 'Onus' on Michael Penix Jr. to Learn Under Cousins

The Atlanta Falcons believe Kirk Cousins is the best possible mentor for Michael Penix Jr. - but it's up to Penix to capitalize.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is still growing acclimated during his first week of professional practice. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Michael Penix Jr. grabs his phone, opens his voice recording app and speaks.

The Atlanta Falcons' first-round rookie quarterback recites the play, then listens to it. He sets his phone down, practices the hand signals that dictate motions, and runs two sprints to the other end of the field, where he starts the process over again.

It's May 13, and Penix is in the midst of his first OTA practice. All the while, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is keenly monitoring his newly drafted 24-year-old signal caller - impressed and encouraged by the product in front of him.

"That's development," Morris said. "That's growth, and that's this young man just being hungry. He wants to know, and I love that about him. That's some of the stuff that really attracted us to him."

But while Penix is grasping the nuances of the Falcons' playbook, Kirk Cousins remains the leader in Atlanta's proverbial clubhouse - literally.

The next day - Tuesday afternoon - as the Falcons worked through special teams drills on one field, Cousins threw passes on the other. Around him were tight end Kyle Pitts, receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, among other coaches.

Cousins, the Falcons' four-year, $180 million man under center, is the focal point of Atlanta's offense in 2024, no matter the honeymoon phase Penix currently finds himself in externally.

"Kirk's our quarterback," Morris said. "That'll play out as it plays out, and we've got a guy in the building that we hope can be our potential moving on in the future."

The Falcons have been steadfast in this assertion since selecting Penix at No. 8 overall on April 25, shocking many around the league - including, if only slightly, Cousins.

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The four-time Pro Bowler's agent, Mike McCartney, released a statement after the pick, expressing the camp's surprise. Cousins knew the Falcons were considering selecting a quarterback but didn't think they'd do so at No. 8.

Cousins was at Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier that evening for Atlanta's draft watch party. He was in the car driving back home when Morris and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot called to inform him of the Penix pick.

Later that night, Cousins called Penix. The 35-year-old veteran wanted his young counterpart to have his number. And for Cousins, while the move was unexpected, it didn't provide much shock to the system.

"The (outside) response is this is the exception, when really, if you know my story, this is more the norm of the journey," Cousins said. "This is more of an, 'Okay, let's just start working and start building together.'"

During his time on the high school recruiting circuit, Cousins had only one Division I opportunity - Michigan State, where head coach Mark Dantonio told Cousins there were five other quarterbacks they were trying to court, and he wouldn't get an offer unless the other five went elsewhere.

As the process unfolded, opportunity arose, and Cousins committed to the Spartans - but Dantonio kept recruiting and landed another future NFL passer in Nick Foles. Still, Cousins wasn't dissuaded; all he needed was an opportunity.

The Barrington, Ill., native capitalized, and he's now back in a position to embrace the challenges that may come with the addition of Penix. Through the winding road that now consists of a 12-year NFL career, Cousins has learned to control what he can control, noting there's always competition at the sport's highest level.

Cousins said his time with Penix has been "great" thus far, though it's still too early for him to give a proper evaluation of the lefty's skill set. But Cousins knows this: he and Penix are in a mutually profitable relationship.

"The quarterback room is a working force for one another," Cousins said. "That's never not been the case. We're all in there as a working force together to help each other, and that dynamic has always been there and always will be there."

Cousins's mentality toward the situation is central to Atlanta's motives for selecting Penix. Morris and Fontenot noted they're following a similar philosophy to the Green Bay Packers' quarterback model, which features a succession plan multiple years in advance of the current starter's potential departure.

The Falcons, who lacked a succession plan after Matt Ryan's departure in March 2022 and endured two years of subpar quarterback play as a result, didn't want to experience a similar situation after Cousins is gone.

So, Atlanta identified Penix, with his wide smile, big hands and even bigger arm, as a potential replacement. Now, it's up to him to capitalize on a few years under Cousins's wing.

"The onus really belongs to Michael," Morris said. "Kirk is trying to win a Super Bowl. Kirk is in full-blown preparation mode to set the Atlanta Falcons up for the best success they can possibly have. I think you get no better person to sit behind than a Kirk Cousins type of guy."

After the Penix selection, questions arose about Cousins' health, now six months removed from surgery to repair the torn Achilles he suffered in Week 8 last season. He said doctors initially gave him a nine-month timeline to return, but he's focused on trimming that as much as possible.

Morris said the Falcons are excited about the progress Cousins has made both physically and mentally, as he's doing everything asked of him on-field while impressing with his capacity to hold the offense in the meeting rooms.

While limited in terms of movement, Cousins is doing drop backs, working from within the pocket and executing handoffs, doing everything asked of him during Phase 2 of Atlanta's offseason program.

But what's most exciting to Morris is Cousins's work as a teacher. He's going through progressions and coaching receivers about the spots they need to be in, how routes should look and how he wants them to be run.

Of course, Cousins is also tutoring Penix. As Morris said, the Falcons believe there's no profile better suited for the role than a player like Cousins - a notion star receiver Drake London agrees with.

"He's an all-around pro," London said. "Does everything right - off the field, on the field, watching film, taking care of his body - he does everything right. So, for Michael to have Kirk take him under his wing, is going to be a huge, huge thing to lengthen out his career."

London added that Cousins's personality is that of a dad, which makes sense for the father of two. Cousins is taking on a similar role professionally with Penix.

Morris noted everybody outside the building wants to make Cousins tell Penix what to do, but internally, Cousins's everyday movements and actions will be the best learning tool for Penix.

And so, there won't be any handholding for Penix - it's up to him to seek the knowledge, and Cousins is willing to provide it. As such, Morris anticipates learning more about the wiring of his first-round pick than anything else in the relationship.

"It's a great experience for Michael, and he'll learn a lot from watching (Cousins) move and move in silence with his guys," Morris said. "He'll learn on the run. Really, it's the empathy and humility of Michael that's going to come out more when it comes to learning those types of things, and I think that's the most important part of all."

Both Penix and Cousins are focused on building relationships. Cousins said he goes about it by serving others and asking questions, furthering his understanding of what makes them tick. Penix likes fishing, among other hobbies.

Cousins hails from the Midwest, Penix from the deep south. One's a lefty, the other's a righty. There's an 11-year age gap. Cousins is married and a father of two; Penix is neither.

The Falcons' oft-discussed passers are quite different. They are, however, united in one particular goal: winning. And Morris, knowing the way each player conducts himself, anticipates a positive working relationship.

"I really love both the people," Morris said. "We invest in people first. These two people, I feel great about it. You might not like the initial goal, the initial reaction of what's going to happen, but if you sit down, you go through the process, you talk to enough people, figure out what the goals are, we get it on the line, and let's go to work."

It's a different situation than the one Cousins thought he'd entered when signing his deal, which comes with $100 million guaranteed. His end goal, however, hasn't changed - helping the Falcons back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 seasons.

Asked if he'd still sign if he knew Atlanta was taking Penix, Cousins said he doesn't deal in hypotheticals; it's a long path, he said, that doesn't do anybody any good to go down.

Regardless, Cousins's reality won't change: he's the present solution on a team fixated on building a sustained winner, just with an unexpected face now a part of the equation. As a result, Cousins's optimism on the chance to turn the Falcons around remains undimmed.

"I'm excited for this opportunity," Cousins said. "I think it's a real privilege to be a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and I'm trying to make good on the opportunity they've given me with the way I work each day and the way we play this fall."

And Penix appears poised to be right in his footsteps along the way, one sprint and voice recording at a time.