Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was likely looking forward to a nice quiet evening on his couch to watch the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday and see who his new team, the Atlanta Falcons, would select with their first-round pick.
Maybe the Falcons would add a new receiver for Cousins to throw to, or maybe they would use their top pick on an offensive lineman to help protect their new starting quarterback.
Well, Atlanta clearly had something else in mind, as they used the No. 8 pick in this year's draft on quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out of the University of Washington. The NFL world was unsurprisingly shocked by the Falcons' selection, and we later found out how Cousins felt about the pick as well.
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins reportedly "disappointed" with Atlanta Falcons picking Michael Penix Jr.
Despite signing Cousins to a four-year contract worth $180 million earlier this year, Atlanta went out and used a top-10 pick on a quarterback on Thursday. It didn't make a ton of sense to really anyone outside of the Falcons' front office and Cousins was apparently among the large group that was confused by the selection.
According to NFL Media's Jane Slater on Thursday, the former Vikings quarterback was "shocked" and "disappointed" after Atlanta drafted Penix in the opening round.
Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, also shared the following comments with NFL Media's Mike Garafolo after the Falcons' shocking first-round selection on Thursday.
"Yes, it was a big surprise. We had no idea this was coming. The truth is the whole league had no idea this was coming. We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation."
So why did Atlanta use their top pick in this year's NFL Draft on a quarterback less than three months after signing Cousins to a monster contract? Well, the Falcons reportedly used their first-round selection on Penix because they believe "they won’t have a top pick with Cousins under center the next few years," according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.
To be fair to the former Minnesota quarterback, the selection makes absolutely zero sense at all. Penix is going to be 24-years-old in May and he isn't regarded as one of the 2024 quarterback prospects who needs extended time to sit and develop.
Cousins will likely handle the situation like a professional, but it will certainly be interesting to see how all of this plays out, as he's now with an organization that pretty much went behind his back to pick his eventual replacement shortly after signing him.