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Was Kirk Cousins Deserving of Being Benched by the Falcons?
SportsGrid
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12/19/2024
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Sports
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00:00
So we heard from a lot of people yesterday with this Falcons franchise, all around the
00:07
big decision made by Atlanta entering week 16, the change at quarterback Kirk Cousins
00:13
now on the bench, the eighth overall pick this past April out of Washington via Bloomington,
00:19
Indiana.
00:20
Michael Pennix Jr. now the starting quarterback for the Falcons.
00:24
You heard from Raheem Morris a little bit ago.
00:26
We heard from Kirk Cousins, who had a ton to say yesterday.
00:30
We talked about shooting an elephant.
00:32
Here is Kirk on his future, quote, I didn't forget how to play quarterback.
00:37
Certainly turnovers were not what you want, but I didn't forget how to play.
00:42
Michael Pennix Jr. also shared yesterday, DRS.
00:45
He was at Costco getting a good deal on a hot dog with that rookie money when he got
00:49
the call from his skipper that he was now the starting quarterback.
00:54
Let's talk about Kirk Cousins, because the financial investment Atlanta put into Kirk
00:59
this year, a 36-year-old quarterback off a torn Achilles midway through the 2023 season
01:06
to pay $180 million to over a four-year contract length with a hundred mil guaranteed to put
01:14
him on the bench before the end of his opening year after drafting his heir apparent after
01:20
you had just paid him a few weeks prior.
01:23
Donnie, what do you think Kirk Cousins has left in the tank, either in Atlanta or in
01:28
the National Football League as a whole?
01:30
I don't think, look, maybe a backup, but again, if he gets cut, nobody's picking up that contract
01:35
here because he is a guy that maybe a spot start or two can work, but it's apparent right
01:40
now, he can't be your franchise guy.
01:42
He's not mobile in the pocket, doesn't make the plays he used to, because how about this?
01:46
Obviously, after the Achilles injury, we haven't seen him play until he got to Atlanta, and
01:50
there's a lot of question marks even in training camp, like, is this guy going to be ready
01:53
for the season?
01:54
And maybe we misjudged how back he was from the Achilles, but it's apparent now watching
01:58
him play, like he struggled to start the season, then was okay for a little bit, has really
02:02
hit the skids.
02:03
And again, you don't get any younger, he's 36 years old, so I don't see any other team
02:07
out there that says, you know what, if he gets cut this fall season, we could use him
02:10
as even a bridge quarterback, like, let's just say Aaron Rodgers gets cut from the New
02:14
York Jets.
02:15
We need a cheap option just for a bridge because we drafted a young quarterback, but he might
02:18
not be ready.
02:19
I don't even see him as that anymore.
02:21
He's been that bad because you could tell at times where you're just not making the
02:24
right reads, like, okay, we got to settle in.
02:26
But I think more than not, one touchdown pass and nine interceptions on that run, he's just
02:31
not seeing the field.
02:32
The arm doesn't look as strong.
02:33
You can even see him taking snaps sometimes, just looking unathletic in the pocket, and
02:37
that can't happen.
02:38
So I don't think anybody is excited to say, boy, if they let Kirk Cousins go, I'm going
02:42
to pick him up as a starting quarterback.
02:44
If he does get cut, he can go be a backup quarterback.
02:47
It's going to take him another year or so till that Achilles finally heals, but I don't
02:50
ever see him being a starting option in the NFL ever again.
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