Tank Williams Criticizes Falcons’ Salary Cap Strategy After Penix Jr. Draft Pick and Kirk Cousins Signing

Previously unanticipated NFL defensive back Tank Williams expressed his bewilderment when the Atlanta Falcons opted to select quarterback Michael Penix Jr. With their No. 8 pick in this year’s draft. During an appearance on OutKick’s “Hot Mic,” Williams argued that the team’s decision, coupled with a significant amount of guaranteed money allocated towards newly signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins, puts Atlanta’s salary cap into precarious territory. He continued by explaining how teams build winning rosters in professional football: young quarterbacks who excel early on allow for more resources to be invested around them due to better financial situations. Williams questioned the Falcons’ decision-making process given their recent moves; signing Cousins, worth up to $180 million and then selecting Penix seemed contradictory to him. The former Washington standout is expected to sign a four-year contract for approximately $22.8m with an additional fifth year team option and a substantial signing bonus of roughly $13.4m as reported by Spotrac, while Cousins’ guaranteed earnings exceed $100 million. Williams stated that if the Falcons knew Penix was their chosen quarterback, they should not have promised such extensive compensation to Kirk Cousins. He further explained how this decision would put Atlanta in a terrible financial position moving forward and failed to notify Kirk of his future intentions right from the outset. With these circumstances, Williams argued that both QBs’ relationship with each other could become strained immediately due to their conflicting positions on the team roster. In addition, he expressed concern about wasting draft capital in selecting Penix instead of using it for alternative positions like running backs or wide receivers and potential starters such as linemen who might have been more beneficial selections given that resources were being invested so heavily into QBs at this stage of the team’s development. Williams, however, still believes that Michael deserved to be selected in the top 10 based on his talents alone despite disagreeing with how Atlanta decided upon selecting him specifically for their franchise roster position as a first-round pick in NFL history.