With their eyes on the future, the Minnesota Vikings moved on from Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason, and the veteran quarterback has a new home for the 2024 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons.
Whether Cousins likes it or not, his new team could also be planning for the future at the quarterback position, as the Falcons could potentially select a young signal-caller in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
In fact, a recent 2024 mock draft that was actually posted on Atlanta's very own team website has the franchise using an early-round pick on a quarterback prospect who could eventually replace Cousins as the Falcons' starter.
Replacement for former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins selected in recent Atlanta Falcons mock draft
Earlier this week, AtlantaFalcons.com's Terrin Waack shared a seven-round mock draft for all of Atlanta's picks in this year's NFL Draft that was apparently generated by a simulator.
With Atlanta's first selection in the upcoming 2024 draft (eighth overall), the simulator went with former Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Then with the Falcons' second pick in this year's NFL Draft (43rd overall), the simulator selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out of the University of Washington.
Even though Waack claimed all the picks in this Atlanta mock draft were made by a simulator, she wrote the following about the selection of Penix.
"The Falcons have their QB1 for 2024 thanks to the Kirk Cousins acquisition in free agency, but Cousins is 35 years old with 12 seasons already under his belt. He's not exactly a long-term solution.
That's why the Falcons chose to draft a second-round quarterback in Michael Penix Jr.
The need to trade up in the first round for a premier passer is gone, so Atlanta is able select someone who can develop under Cousins without immediate pressure."
Understandably, Cousins is already being viewed as a guy who isn't the "long-term solution" for his new team. But this makes sense given his current age, which Waack mentioned, and the fact that he's also coming off of a torn Achilles, which is the first serious injury of his NFL career.
Cousins has already mentioned how he would now like to retire from the league as a member of the Falcons. But if Atlanta uses an early-round pick in the 2024 draft on a quarterback prospect like Penix or someone else, could Cousins be shown the door by the Falcons before he's ready to retire?
It wouldn't be surprising if Atlanta used one of their 2024 draft selections on a new signal-caller, as Cousins and Taylor Heinicke (another former Viking) are currently the only two quarterbacks on the team's roster.
But if the Falcons do end up drafting a new passer next week, where in the draft they select the quarterback will likely reveal how they truly feel about Cousins' long-term future with the team.