Kirk Cousins told if he's still Falcons starting quarterback after Michael Penix Jr. pick

Kirk Cousins will be the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback this coming season - despite the unexpected arrival of Michael Penix Jr .

The Falcons stunned NFL Draft watchers by selecting quarterback Penix, 23, with the eighth overall pick. Most analysts expected Atlanta to use that pick to strengthen another department after handing Cousins , 35, a four-year, $180 million contract in March.

Cousins was shocked by his new team's decision to use that precious first-rounder on another quarterback. His agent claimed he wasn't even informed of the Falcons' intention to bring Penix to Atlanta until they were on the clock with their pick.

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Cousins' future with the Falcons seemed in doubt before his first snap in Atlanta. But now the team's head coach Raheem Morris has confirmed Cousins, a fourth-round pick in 2012, will start ahead of first-round pick Penix in 2024 and for the foreseeable future.

"We came up with a decision, this is what we plan to do," said Morris, as quoted by ESPN . "And Kirk does not have to look over his shoulder every time he throws a bad pass. Like, that is not the case. So, I know I'm going to have to tell you guys once or twice that that is not the case. Like, we are here to go win, and we are here to go win it all. We are here to win as much as we can win."

Cousins agent Mike McCartney was asked for his client's reaction in the immediate aftermath of Atlanta's decision to pick Penix, a first-team All American in 2023. "We had no idea this was coming," McCartney told the NFL Network .

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"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 the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation."

After recovering from the initial shock of Atlanta's decision, Cousins called Penix. The latter confirmed they had a "very good conversation" and said: "I'm super excited to work with him, and he said he's the same with me."

Cousins is one of the most established quarterbacks in the NFL. He was drafted by Washington in 2012 and became its starting quarterback three years later. Then, in 2018, the four-time Pro Bowler joined the Minnesota Vikings.

Cousins was lured away from Minnesota by the Falcons last month with a $45 million per year salary, making him one of the best paid quarterbacks in the NFL. He is guaranteed to receive at least $100 million of his four-year, $180 million deal.

If Cousins fulfills his contract with the Falcons as a starter and Penix succeeds him, the latter will be 28 by the time he is a starting quarterback in the NFL. To put that into perspective, three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is currently 28.