Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said benching Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on Tuesday was strictly a “football decision.”
After a rocky 7-7 start, the Falcons' first-year coach told the media Wednesday, just hours after the organization decided to switch direction from Cousins to Penix, that the veteran quarterback He said he had responded to the news of his relegation “with dignity.”
“Obviously, any decision to resign or be demoted, no matter what the incident, is not going to be greeted with great gratitude, including that,” Morris said.
“But Kirk was a professional. He's a professional. He's a guy. He's a great human being. He's a great father. He's a great football player. He did a lot of great things for us this year. He did it. He was an absolute professional. I can't say enough good things about the man and what he is like, but when it comes to losing your job. , there is obviously some disappointment involved.”
Cousins was an early free agent for the Falcons, with the former Vikings quarterback signing a four-year, $180 million contract with Minnesota in March.
A month later, Atlanta jumped on the quarterback bandwagon and selected Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Penix's first career start will be Sunday against the Giants, but the Giants opted to take Malik Nabors with the No. 6 pick instead of taking Penix.
He became the fourth QB selected in Opening Day, joining Chicago's Caleb Williams (first), Washington's Jaden Daniels (second) and New England's Drake Maye (third).
Minnesota selected Michigan's JJ McCarthy with the 10th pick, and Denver selected Oregon's Bo Nix with the 12th pick.
The draft move reportedly blindsided Cousins, but Atlanta general manager Terry Fontenot insisted Penix's selection was about the future.
“Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We are very excited about Kirk and our team. Michael Penix is talking about the future. It's about looking at the statue,” he said in April.
The Falcons entered the season looking to make the playoffs after a mediocre 7-10 season in 2023.
Cousins struggled under center after returning from an Achilles injury, going four straight games without a touchdown pass until Monday's 15-9 win over the lowly Raiders.
He completed 11 of 17 attempts for 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Morris then criticized Cousins' play, admitting the quarterback needed to do better.
“I thought we needed to play better the last few weeks,” Cousins said. “Raheem says that, but it’s stating the obvious, and I’m going to go through my process every week and go out there and play the best I can.”
Through 14 games, Cousins completed 66.9 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
