Who are the Atlanta Falcons building around?

Terrin Waack: Kirk’s cousins.

You don’t offer someone a four-year, $180 million contract without planning on making him the main attraction. Cousins ​​was the Falcons’ blockbuster deal this offseason.

Also, how many times this offseason did head coach Raheem Morris or general manager Terry Fontenot say that quarterback was the most important position, not just in football, but in all of sports? Honestly, I didn’t count. But it sure felt like a lot.

The Falcons know how important it is to have consistent play at quarterback because they’ve been lacking it. They’ve been rotating their center since trading Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, and it hasn’t worked. Hopefully Cousins ​​can fix that.

Cousins’ history shows that he can be that type of player, too. Between 2015 and 2022, Cousins ​​missed just two games, and during that span, he completed 67.5 percent of his passes for an average of 266.5 yards and 1.8 touchdowns per game. He was also on pace to start every game in 2023, until an injury in Week 8 ruined those chances. Through eight weeks, though, Cousins ​​led all NFL quarterbacks with 18 touchdowns, and he was No. 2 in passing yards (2,331) and No. 5 in completion percentage (69.5 percent).

That’s why the Falcons invested so much in Cousins.

Also, if you listen to the Falcons Final Whistle podcast, you already know who I associate the quarterback with: Rudolph. Yes, that’s another Waack analogy. Cousins ​​is Rudolph. He leads the sleigh, the other reindeer are his teammates, and that leaves Morris as Santa, dictating the direction of flight.

Rudolph is obviously the centerpiece. He lights up and shows the way. An entire Christmas song and story are dedicated to him.

Cousins ​​is the Rudolph of the Falcons.

Amna Subhan: Michael Penix Jr.

I know, I know. Kirk Cousins ​​is the starting quarterback right now, but I’m emphasizing the “building” part of the question. The Falcons have been very clear since selecting Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in April: Cousins ​​is the present and Penix is ​​the future.

Block by block, Penix is ​​preparing to one day become the Falcons’ starting quarterback. That process begins now. So far, through rookie minicamp and offseason workouts, the Falcons’ staff has been impressed with the young quarterback, from his football skills to his character.

“One thing I’ve noticed about Mike is he’s always watching, he’s always observing,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “He may not have to ask the question directly, but just watching Kirk do something gives him a lot of information.”

While the Falcons have built this season’s offense around Cousins ​​as the current centerpiece — as Terrin pointed out above — it also contributes to how they want Penix to run the offense. The fact that the two quarterbacks have similar playing styles is a plus.

“He was a guy that played very similarly to Kirk,” quarterbacks coach TJ Yates said. “As far as moving forward, it’s going to be an extremely seamless transition running the exact same offense.”

The Falcons management understood the stakes when they took Penix. They didn’t make this choice lightly; they made this choice so they could build a future around him.