Falcons’ Surprise Selection of Injury-Prone Penix Jolts NFL Fans despite Cousins Contract Signing

The Atlanta Falcons shocked the NFL world by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. With the eighth pick of the first round, despite recently signing Kirk Cousins to a lucrative four-year deal worth $180 million. Many believed that Penix was not even an option for the team with Cousins on board. However, it seems that the Falcons are high on the 24-year-old lefty as they prepare for life after their franchise quarterback’s Achilles injury at age 35. In fact, according to NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Penix was kept a secret from Cousins during the draft process, with his agent confirming that while Cousins did receive some notice about the team potentially selecting a QB in round one, he didn’t expect it would be so soon. ESPN reported that there may have been more communication between Falcons and Cousins than Jeremiah let on – although McCartney clarified to them that any updates regarding Penix were shared with his client while the team was still deliberating over their pick. The Athletic added further context, noting that Cousins “understood” a quarterback might be considered but didn’t anticipate they would move ahead in round one as quickly and definitively as happened. Penix – once pegged as an early second-round choice for some observers this year – instead slipped down to become the sixth quarterback chosen (two fell within this batch too: Auburn signal-caller TJ Finley went 15th overall, while Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder landed at #30 with Atlanta’s NFC South division rivals in Carolina), raising further eyebrows among observers as his NFL debut gets near. But perhaps more eyebrow-raising still is the fact that Penix has endured a serious injury woes similar to Cousins, having torn his right ACL twice (in 2018 and again in ’20) while playing for Indiana University, along with other injuries including clavicle fracture (’19) and an AC joint separation (’21).