Kirk Cousins

Falcons benched Kirk Cousins in favor of Michael Penix Jr. moving forward.

Head coach Raheem Morris was evasive on Kirk Cousins’ status as starter on Tuesday but has now benched Cousins in favor of rookie first-rounder Michael Penix Jr. The 36-year-old is coming off an Achilles injury he suffered last season and had been struggling as of late, throwing just one touchdown to nine interceptions over his last five games. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal in March and will be paid $62.5 million this season. He is also owed $27.5 million fully guaranteed in 2025 and has a no-trade clause in his contract. The Falcons will have $65 million in dead money should they release him prior to the 2025 league year. As such, the Falcons cannot do much about Cousins and will have to pay him out, but the offseason could see Atlanta taking the sunk cost and moving on, especially if Penix produces above the low bar Cousins set.