On March 13, the Atlanta Falcons opened free agency with a bang, signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million contract.
The move was a long time coming for Atlanta, who had been lost at quarterback since trading franchise icon Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts after the 2021 season.
Cousins’ time as Atlanta’s undisputed new franchise quarterback lasted just over a month, as the team selected Washington Huskies quarterback and 2023 Maxwell Award winner Michael Penix, Jr. with the eighth overall pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft.
On the NFL Network broadcast, Daniel Jeremiah revealed how Cousins felt about the news.
“I just reached out to his agent, Mike McCartney, he was not given a heads up. Kirk Cousins was not given really a heads up on this whole thing.”
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini provided some additional details, tweeting, “The Falcons called Kirk Cousins when they were on the clock to let him know. From what I learned, Cousins understood a QB would be considered but he did not believe his successor would be taken in the first round. I’m told he’s a bit stunned.”
Cousins is a professional and has a massive contract that will likely make it next to impossible for Atlanta to move on from him, even if they wanted to.
Over time, he likely will grow to be fine with the pick, but it’s easy to understand his feelings in the moment.
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