From the moment the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Kirk Cousins was blindsided.
While the veteran quarterback mostly brushed aside his sentiments during the season, he opened up about his true feelings in the first episode of Netflix's "Quarterback" series, which debuted Tuesday. For the first time, Cousins acknowledged that he'd have stayed in Minnesota if he knew the Falcons were going to draft a first-round QB.
"I ended up signing with Atlanta and was pretty excited about the chance to get down there and start fresh. And then, I was pretty surprised when the NFL draft happened," Cousins said. "I wasn't expecting us to take a quarterback so high. At the time, it felt like I had been a little bit misled, or certainly if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would've affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback that high. But I've also learned in 12 years in this league that you're not entitled to anything. It's all about being able to earn your spot and prove yourself."
Cousins was coming off a season-ending Achilles injury during the 2023 campaign, as he was playing Pro Bowl-caliber ball under Kevin O'Connell. The injury ultimately changed the trajectory of the QB's future in Minnesota.
"My expectation before getting hurt was that we're gonna play in such a way that I'll be a Viking for a long time. But once I tore my Achilles, all that was up in the air," Cousins said.
Cousins relayed that the Vikings only offered a short-term contract and didn't budge after Atlanta made their four-year offer worth at least $100 million in guarantees.
"I didn't want to leave Minnesota," he said. "There was nothing about anywhere that made me want to leave Minnesota. We wanted to be in Minnesota, but it became clear that we were gonna be there year to year. And that's what we didn't want. At that point, we said, 'We need to look elsewhere. If that's our only option, then we'll be back.' And when we said, 'Well, we looked around and there's an opportunity that'd be a longer commitment. Would you be interested in giving us that longer commitment?' They said, 'Nope, we're good with our offer.' And I said, "OK, you made my decision really easy.'"
The rest is history.
Cousins started the season relatively immobile coming off the Achilles injury, and while there were brief moments for the QB, everything deteriorated down the stretch. Ultimately, Penix replaced him for the final three games and entered the offseason as the clear starter in 2025. Despite discussions about trades ruminating this offseason, Cousins remains on the Falcons roster as training camp approaches. Barring an eventual trade, the 36-year-old is poised to spend the season as an expensive backup.
The situation underscores the dominoes of life. Had the Falcons made their intentions to draft a QB known, Cousins sounds like he'd have taken the short deal to remain in Minnesota as a bridge QB. That would have negated Sam Darnold's career renaissance last year with the Vikings, which led him to sign in Seattle this offseason following a trade of Geno Smith. Those realities are taking place on another branch of the Multiverse.
