The Atlanta Falcons' partnership with Kirk Cousins continues to age as poorly as possible, with headlines refusing to die. Just when it seemed the stories were coming to an end and excitement for Michael Penix Jr. was building, Netflix released Quarterback, a docuseries that gives an inside look at Kirk's season.
Predictably, this highlighted the fact that Cousins felt "misled" by Atlanta's front office ahead of selecting the rookie quarterback. While this is a fair feeling, it is past time to let all of the frustration go, with neither side being blameless.
Atlanta falling in love with the possible ceiling of Penix changed the team's plans and caused the ill-advised path of adding two starting quarterbacks. This was never going to end well and created a sense of frustration from the fan base and pundits from the start. Still, this isn't the reason why Cousins finds himself in a backup role. The quarterback has no one to blame but himself for imploding Atlanta's season and continually misleading the media, who questioned whether or not the veteran was fully healthy.
It's Past Time to Turn the Page on Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
The Falcons were in complete control of the NFC South halfway through the 2024 season and imploded due to a quarterback who wasn't capable of giving his team a chance to win. It is an injury Cousins would deny and only admit to at the end of Atlanta's season. How much the team's coaching staff knew remains a bit of a mystery. However, it wasn't difficult to see the veteran was imploding the team's season, and the franchise turned to Penix far too late.
All of this adds up to having blame to go around when it comes to the signing and how the situation played out. Neither Cousins nor Atlanta's front office handled the situation well, and it has become a far bigger story than what it deserves. It is important to remember that the docuseries was filmed consistently throughout the season, making the stories relevant once again, even if they are the same tired narratives.
That is the case when it comes to Atlanta's backup quarterback, who has embraced his demotion after realizing there simply wasn't another choice. It isn't ideal for the Falcons to continue to have the distraction of the former starter. However, it is hard to argue against the decision to keep the security over paying the veteran to play elsewhere.
It will be interesting to see if any potential landing spots present themselves throughout the season. If this happens and Penix plays as expected, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Falcons turn the page on a player who continues to invite drama that should already be behind the improving franchise.