Atlanta Falcons' rookie mini-camp officially got underway on Friday, and everyone that has a Falcons' media credential is on hand to see Falcons' first round draft pick Michael Penix Jr... the backup quarterback. Now this is not without reason. When the Falcons picked Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, it sent shockwaves through the NFL that has us still feeling reverberations.
Half of the fanbase thought it was a great pick, and the other half thought the complete opposite. To catch everyone up, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a 4 year/$180 million deal only one month before the draft. Because of this many, including Cousins, were thinking that the Falcons were in "win now" mode and would spend that draft capital on a player to fill one of the many needs on the team that would improve them this season, not a backup quarterback. So here we are at the start of Falcons' camps, and all eyes are on Michael Penix Jr., the backup quarterback, as they should be, but not why you are thinking. While Michael Penix Jr. is an exciting prospect for the future of the Falcons, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Randy McMichael and Abe Gordon discuss why there is no quarterback controversy in Flowery Branch.