Kirk Cousins Speaks Out on Michael Penix Jr.'s Season-Ending Injury

When the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, it carried two years of guaranteed money. In essence, it was a two-year, $100 million deal with the added years done for salary cap purposes.

He'll start his second game of the season on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but it's impossible to say things have gone according to plan. After a 6-3 start to his Falcons' career, Cousins was injured against the same Saints in Week 10 last season, and hasn't looked the same since.

A year later, he finds himself back as the Falcons' full-time starter, but only because of a season-ending injury to Michael Penix Jr. It's not how the Falcons wanted Cousins to get the job, and it's not how Cousins himself wanted to be put back into the starting role.

"Wanted to just acknowledge how tough the injury is for Michael," Cousins opened his press conference on Wednesday. "My heart breaks for him. He's someone who has handled adversity so well through his football journey, and unfortunately, he's having to do it again.

"But, I'm very confident he has a lot of good football ahead of him. Probably more good football ahead of him than behind him, for sure. So, he has a lot to look forward to, but unfortunately, he's just going to have to be patient with it. But, tough deal, and we'll be supporting him as he goes through his rehab process."

Cousins has been fortunate enough in his career to be in his mid-30s before he suffered a season-ending injury. Unfortunately for Penix, this is his fifth before he turns 26 years old.

“Mike's been through it before, and that's why I say he's a resilient person," Cousins said when asked what advice he might have for Penix. "It's amazing because he is so athletic, even having gone through the knee, he's got some of the best numbers in our weight room that we measured the explosiveness.

"So, that's where you know that he has great football ahead of him because you know that the injury before never really limited his athleticism. And I don't expect this will either. So, I think he's got a lot of great football ahead of him."

Cousins relayed a story about Penix that displayed the long journey he'd taken to become the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which included four season-ending injuries at Indiana.

"I remember one time we were walking out to a game together back last season, I said, 'You ever get nervous before games?' He said, 'Not really, because I've been through so much, and you know that when you've been through so much, you just kind of enjoy the opportunity.'

"I thought that was a good word from a young player, you know, that perspective. And I'm sure he's taking that same perspective now. But, that's why your heart breaks for him, because he has been through so much and he does have a good perspective. That's where when he gets back out there, we pull him for him and expect big things ahead for him.”

The Falcons will have to wait until next year before they see Michael Penix again. For now, it's Cousins's chance for a bit of redemption after 2024 flamed out after a hot start.

It's not going to be easy, though. The Falcons will be missing wide receiver Drake London, who also missed Cousins's last start against the Dolphins. With a wide receiver corps of Darnell Mooney, KhaDarel Hodge, and David Sills V, Cousins managed just 111 yards passing while the Dolphins built up a 34-3 lead.

Cousins and Atlanta got a 67-yard touchdown drive in garbage time, and he finished 21/31 for 173 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.

The Falcons are 1.5-point underdogs to the 2-8 Saints on Sunday. This is probably not what general manager Terry Fontenot had in mind when he gave Cousins $100 million and used a No. 8 overall pick on Michael Penix Jr.