Kirk Cousins gesture to Michael Penix Jr. despite agents comments sums up Atlanta Falcons QB

Kirk Cousins was taken aback by the Atlanta Falcons ' shock decision to draft quarterback Michael Penix Jr , but called his new teammate as soon as he could.

Cousins was signed to a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons this offseason after turning down an offer to stay with the Minnesota Vikings .

The Falcons have built their offense around Cousins this off-season, with the expectation previously to continue to do so with their first-round pick. Instead, they might have selected his long-term successor in Penix Jr - despite Cousins being unaware that it had even been a possibility which they would consider.

But despite being blindsided by the news, Cousins showed his class to reach out and share positive words with Penix Jr.

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After speaking for the first time as a Falcon, Penix Jr confirmed Cousins had called him. He said: "We had a very good conversation. I will keep it between me and him, but I am excited to work with him and he said the same to me."

And while Falcons selecting Penix Jr appeared to shock the player, his agent has gone one further and stated that no one in the league had expected the move to happen.

Cousins' agent told NFL Network: "Yes, it was a big surprise. We had no idea this was coming. The truth is the whole league had no idea this was coming. We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on te clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation."

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The 23-year-old was the fourth signal-caller taken off the board, following Caleb Williams , Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye , who were taken with the top three picks - with Penix taken at eighth overall.

A talented passer with an arm that rivals Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen's, Penix Jr is certainly an exciting prospect - but struggled with his accuracy in his final year at college. As well as this, Penix Jr has had three major injuries throughout his career - including on both knees and shoulders.

Penix Jr is now likely to sit behind Cousins for at least two years, with the Falcons not being able to cut the veteran after signing him on a four-year deal.