Hoping to avoid drama with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins ​​finds it in Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​respected, but did not want to be involved in, the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to draft a young signal-caller. Now he’s in the same place in Atlanta.

Ironically, the new Cousins ​​finds himself in the exact position he would have wanted to avoid with the Vikings.

This spring, when deciding between a free agency meeting with the Vikings or a move to the Falcons, Cousins ​​weighed several factors, including the presence of a young signal-caller.

“One of the reasons he decided to leave Minnesota was that the Vikings were very upfront with the 35-year-old about the possibility that, even if he stayed, they would take a quarterback of the future in mind of the draft,’” reported Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

“I know Cousins ​​appreciated how open the Vikings were about their draft strategy, even if it meant him leaving.”

Minnesota did what it said it would do, selecting former Michigan signal-caller JJ McCarthy 10th overall.

The Vikings’ move came after the Falcons stunned many — including Cousins ​​— by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., believing they had secured the job for the present and future.

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Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris have since emphasized that Cousins ​​is their starter, and they would be happy if the four-time Pro Bowler started for his entire four-year contract. ‘worth $180 million, because that probably means a team. success followed.

It’s also worth noting, as Breer said, that Minnesota wasn’t willing to fully guarantee Cousins’ contract in 2025, while Atlanta was. The Falcons will give Cousins ​​some $90 million over the next two years, signaling at least a short-term commitment.

Adding even more conflict to this decision, the Falcons face tampering charges in 2025 for their involvement in the signing of Cousins ​​from Minnesota.

Still, Cousins ​​felt blindsided. He knew the Falcons were mulling the idea of ​​drafting a quarterback, but he didn’t think they would do it in the first round.

The Atlanta braintrust called Cousins ​​for a few moments before handing over the draft card with Penix’s name on it. The Falcons wanted to keep their interest in Penix under wraps, perhaps because Fontenot saw the Kansas City Chiefs snatch Patrick Mahomes from him with the New Orleans Saints in 2017.

Nonetheless, Cousins ​​left draft night stunned — and after leaving Minnesota intending to avoid the drama that follows when he has a first-round quarterback in his shadow, he was suddenly plunged precisely in this scenario.

“This must have been a shitty decision to make if you were cousins, given the basis of the decision you had made six weeks earlier,” Breer wrote. “Whether this will lead to some sort of early crack in the player-team relationship there remains to be seen. I think they will be able to overcome this, because head coach Raheem Morris is a phenomenal people person and Cousins ​​is an adult.

“But if there are difficulties at the start of the season, this will be an interesting one to watch.”

Cousins ​​and Penix shared a phone call on draft night, with Penix saying everything went well. Their official working relationship begins on May 13, when Atlanta launches OTAs.

But for Cousins, the general idea the relationship stems from is one he wanted no part of in the spring.