Bill Belichick not a fan of Falcons’ stunning Michael Penix draft pick

Bill Belichick was as surprised as everybody else that the Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall on Thursday in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The combination of how high the former Indiana and Washington quarterback went in the draft, coupled with the fact that the Falcons just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed this offseason, made the Penix selection one of the more shocking NFL draft moments of all-time.

Belichick was appearing on Pat McAfee’s “Draft Spectacular” on ESPN digital platforms on Thursday night, and his reaction to this pick became immediately anticipated as he was publicly passed over for the Falcons’ head coaching job in favor of Raheem Morris this offseason.

The segment of the program began with Oz the Mentalist (real name Oz Pearlman) ominously foreshadowing a crazy moment by saying that the picks had been what everyone thought they would be but that “things are about to shift very shortly, so let’s see what happens.”

As McAfee was asking Belichick if his longtime Patriots muse Ernie Adams was like Oz, the show’s audience could hear a massive gasp in unison from the crowd of over 200,000 in Detroit as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the Penix pick.

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McAfee broke down Penix’s history, show co-host Ty Schmit slammed the pick as “idiotic” after the Cousins signing, and then it was Belichick’s turn.

Asked how the Falcons came to this decision, Belichick said, “They obviously liked the kid. I think this is an example where you probably could’ve traded back to take Penix. Maybe they thought Denver or someone else was going to slide in there. I don’t know. But this seems a little high for him.”

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After that, Belichick was more diplomatic.

“There’s a lot to like about Penix. There’s a lot to like about this kid,” he said.

“He’s very mature. You talk about the injuries, but he’s been healthy the last two years, and he’s won a lot of games on a good football team at Washington. So, it’s an interesting pick, and look, having two good quarterbacks isn’t a bad thing.”

Belichick was asked by former Colts defensive back Darius Butler if he’s ever seen a team pay a quarterback like this and draft one in the top 10.

The closest comparison he could come up with was when the Packers drafted Jordan Love at No. 26 overall in 2020 while Aaron Rodgers was still in the building.

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“Hey, that’s why there’s 32 different teams. They all have their own boards, philosophies, logos, so …,” Belichick said.

Speaking with reporters after the stunning pick, Morris also said the Falcons were following the Packers’ “blueprint.”

However, Penix was selected 18 spots ahead of where Love went, and if Penix sits for three years as Love did, he would be 27 years old by the time he becomes Atlanta’s starter.

It wasn’t just the public that was astonished with the pick.

Cousins was said to be blindsided that the Falcons used the pick on Penix, as opposed to a player who could help the team right away, and the team did not inform the quarterback of the decision until it was already on the clock.

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