Kirk Cousins is slumping badly and the Atlanta Falcons’ season is slipping away quickly. But still won’t change a quarterback.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris told the media Monday that Cousins is his quarterback.
“Kirk is our quarterback,” Morris said, via Aaron Ladd of Atlanta News First. “Kirk is the man who will lead us.”
It’s not a big surprise. But that’s probably disappointing for some Falcons fans who wanted to see if rookie Michael Penix Jr. could turn things around.
Cousins has no touchdowns and eight interceptions in his last four games, and he threw two more in Atlanta’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Falcons looked like a cinch to win the NFC South 6-3, but they’ve lost four in a row and are now one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) for first place.
Cousins started the season slowly, then turned things around for a while before having the worst stretch of his career. The 36-year-old is coming off an Achilles injury and it has been showing recently.
The problem for Atlanta could be the Cousins deal. He signed a four-year, $180 million deal in the offseason. Benching him for the Penix, the surprising eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, would signal the start of a new era. But cutting Cousins next offseason will be difficult, as doing so would result in a $65 million dead cap hit, according to Over the Cap .
The Falcons opened up speculation about a quarterback change if Cousins struggles when they draft Penix. The plan was for Penix to sit and learn, but he’s an interesting option on the bench as the Falcons are on a losing streak with Cousins’ poor play.
That won’t change this week, Morris said. The Falcons play the Las Vegas Raiders next week and this is a chance for Cousins and the team to turn things around. If they don’t, Morris can expect the same questions about the quarterback change next week.
