There’s no good way to explain this, so I’ll stop. The selection of Michael Penix Jr. by the Falcons is the most nonsensical and baffling draft day decision in NFL Draft history.
I have nothing against the Falcons. The team I root for does not play in that division and is not a rival in any way. Moreover, since I am a contrarian by nature, a contrarian thinker, I tend to disagree with the outrageousness of a decision and find reasons to defend it.
But even I can’t do that.
When the Falcons sign someone to a $180 million contract, like they did with former Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, they do it for one reason: to win a Super Bowl. You do it because you believe that person will lead you to the ‘promised land’ of soccer. And when you give someone a contract like that, the person you’re committed to winning is the same person you’re committed to winning because they’re just paying you.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) watches from the sideline during the second half of the NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions on Sunday, January 7, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan, United States. age). (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto from Getty Images)
But doing that and then drafting a quarterback eight minutes later with the No. 8 overall pick gives the impression that either they don’t really believe in Cousins or that they don’t have any idea what they’re doing.
In the case of the Falcons, I believe the latter.
First, I have to say that there is nothing wrong with Michael Penix Jr. He is a great college player and has every chance of achieving greatness in the NFL.
Washington’s Michael Penix #QB08 participates in a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Kevin Savitas/Getty Images)
There’s also nothing wrong with wanting to take on a QB even if you don’t “need” it. The Packers did that in 2020 with Jordan Love.
The difference is that Jordan Love was selected at No. 26 in the first round instead of No. 8. There is a significant financial difference between the compensation of the 26th pick and the compensation of the 8th pick.
The Falcons essentially drafted Penks with the same idea the Packers had in 2020: developing him as a long-term starter. However, there is no room for three or four years to have a top-10 player sit on the bench.
Again, this is not about Penix. It’s about the pick.
But it’s also something deeper. It’s about how the Falcons handled the situation.
According to Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, Cousins had no idea what was about to happen.
“Yes, that was a big surprise” Mike McCartney Said. “We didn’t expect this to happen. To tell you the truth, the whole league didn’t expect this to happen. We don’t play heads up. That was the first time we heard it. It never came up in any of our conversations.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank seemed surprised by the move when he confronted general manager Terry Fontenot after the selection.
Falcons GM Terry Fontenot explains why owner Arthur Blank chose Michael Penix Jr. pic.twitter.com/lFtc1neHl5 https://t.co/GMGYgaCnok
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 26, 2024
This leaves most other people wondering: when Did the Falcons decide to draft Michael Penix Jr.?
The Falcons didn’t even bring him for an interview at their facility, according to reports.
Michael Penix Jr. did not visit Flowery Branch, which was in the top 30. The Falcons only participated in 45 minutes of practice and met with him at the combine.
It’s almost unheard of for a QB taken in the first round not to be in the team’s top 30.
In the end, ATL was satisfied with their work.— Diana Russini (@DMRussini) April 26, 2024
Who would take a quarterback with the No. 8 overall pick after just meeting him at the combine and watching him throw the ball a little bit? Not only is that incredibly weird, but they don’t tell the $100 million QB they’re getting another QB until it’s time?
It’s starting to look like the Falcons didn’t decide to acquire Penix Jr. until the night of the draft, or maybe even the end of the game.
This means the Falcons don’t have an adult to run the team. They have fanboys. General managers and veteran head coaches like Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris make decisions based on the long-term interests of the team and the wishes of the owners.
Arthur Blank is 81 years old. He doesn’t think about how great Michael Penix Jr. is going to be four or five years from now. He wants to win now. That’s why they drafted Kirk Cousins. And just as importantly, Kirk Cousins signed with Atlanta because of his desire to win now. Cousins is in his 13th year in the league and just returned from a major injury. He’s like a blank. He wants to win now, needs to win now, and probably wouldn’t have gone to Atlanta if he didn’t believe the Falcons were “committed” to winning right now.
When Bill Belichick was interviewing to become the Falcons’ next head coach earlier this offseason, negotiations reportedly broke down because Belichick insisted on having personnel rights. I think I understand exactly why Belichick wanted to take control of personnel.
