The Falcons have created a potentially strange dynamic for their quarterback room by drafting Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency.
But after saying that on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast There’s no beef between him and PenixCousins echoed the same sentiments in his news conference on Tuesday.
“Mike was great“You’re always going to be competitive in this league, and you’re always going to go out and win it,” Cousins said. I will control what I can control, and also understand that there is a lot that you cannot control.
“I learned a long time ago that you have to focus on what you can control.”
But when it comes to things Cousins can control, the veteran quarterback might have chosen to sign elsewhere if he knew of Atlanta’s plans for the 2024 draft. Cousins didn’t want to delve into that theory when asked if he would have made a different choice.
“I don’t really deal with assumptions,” Cousins said. “We can go down this road for a long time in a lot of ways. It doesn’t do us any good. I’m excited about this opportunity that I have. I think it’s a real honor to be the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons and I try to take advantage of the opportunity that I have with the way I work every day and the way we play.” Out this fall.
As for drafting the Atlanta Penix, Cousins said he sees it as a continuation of his usual football journey. Cousins pointed to Nick Foles signing with Michigan State immediately after committing to the program as an example. Cousins was then drafted in the same class as Robert Griffin III in Washington.
“So, this is the norm rather than the exception, I think that is it [outside] “The response is that this is the exception,” Cousins said. “If you really know my story, you will find that this is the norm for the journey. That’s okay, let’s start working and building together.
Cousins noted that the nightly call he received from the Falcons informing him they were taking Penix was “pretty straightforward.”
“I was at a team event at the stadium, and I was just driving back and they called me and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to take a quarterback here with the pick.’ And I said, ‘OK,’” Cousins said.
Cousins was asked if Penix would lead by example or work to build a relationship, and he replied, “I think it would be whatever,” largely because of the way he feels about how the QB room operates.
“I think it’s very important for the quarterback room to work together to help each other succeed. That’s the way things have always been, and that’s the way they should always be, no matter what names are in the room,” Cousins said. We need to all work together to help each other be the best we can be.”
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