Kirk Cousins collapses badly and the Atlanta Falcons’ season slips away quickly. But there will be no change of quarterback yet.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris told media Monday that Cousins remains his quarterback.
“Kirk is our quarterback,” Morris said, via Aaron Ladd of Atlanta News First. “Kirk is the guy who’s going to lead us.”
It’s not a big surprise. But it’s probably disappointing for some Falcons fans who wanted to see if rookie Michael Penix Jr. could turn things around.
Cousins has no touchdowns and eight interceptions in his last four games, and he threw two more in Atlanta’s loss Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons looked like a breeze to win the NFC South at 6-3, but have lost four in a row and are now one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) for first place.
Cousins started the season slowly, then turned things around for a while before having one of the worst stretches of his career. He’s 36 years old and coming off an Achilles injury, and it’s been showing lately.
The problem for Atlanta could be Cousins’ contract. He signed a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason. Benching him for Penix, the surprise eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, would mark the start of a new era. But it would be difficult to cut Cousins next offseason, as it would result in a $65 million cap hit, according to Over the Cap.
The Falcons opened up speculation about a quarterback change if Cousins struggles in the Penix draft. The plan was for Penix to sit and learn, but he makes for an interesting option off the bench because the Falcons are on a losing streak and Cousins is playing poorly.
There will be no changes this week, Morris said. The Falcons take on the Las Vegas Raiders next week and it’s an opportunity for Cousins and the team to turn things around. If they don’t, Morris can expect the same question about a quarterback change next week.
