Panthers great Cam Newton shares hard-earned wisdom for Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.

The way that Atlanta quickly showed Kirk Cousins the door should serve as a learning opportunity for their young starter.

Dec 16, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton watches a game between the Howard Bison and Florida A&M Rattlers in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kirk Cousins now says that he felt "misled" by the Atlanta Falcons when they drafted Michael Penix Jr. fresh off signing Cousins to a massive four-year deal. While the Penix pick came as a surprise to everybody, Cousins should have known better having been in the league as long as he has.

One guy who knows as well as anyone how cut-throat the NFL business can be is former Carolina Panthers franchise QB Cam Newton, who found himself getting cut despite being not too far removed from winning the league's MVP award. Now, Newton is sharing a warning for Penix - courtesy of his latest 4th & 1 podacst. Here's what he shared.

“Michael Penix, this is all I will say to you. You see how you got the position? That will be the same way you lose your position. Don’t let that fly off your head, dreads, or your durag. Stay with me. Understand the same way that got you the position is the same way you will lose the position. This is a business first..."

Newton has it exactly right - and the Falcons won't hesitate to eventually replace Penix if he doesn't live up to his status as a top-10 overall pick.

However, at least for now Atlanta doesn't really have any other legitimate options to start at QB. Cousins is now technically their number two option but there's no point giving him much playing time at this stage of his career. Easton Stick is next up on their depth chart, followed by Emory Jones - but we're unlikely to see either one on the field outside of the preseason.

Penix's game was still quite raw in his three starts down the stretch for the Falcons - including some occasionally wildly inaccurate throws. Then again,Penix also had several very impressive downfield completions and proved he has plenty of all-star potential.

The Panthers will get a chance to see the new-and-improved version of Penix early this season as the Falcons come to visit in Week 3.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI - 

PFF defensive line rankings has Panthers’ unit in shockingly low spot

Panthers youngster goes from ‘bust’ to most-promising building block

Panthers tight end depth chart is wide open- and that’s not a good thing

Viral Jalen Hurts meme resurrects bad takes on Cam Newton, SB50 loss