Arthur Blank: Kirk Cousins is Falcons' 'franchise' QB, Michael Penix 'extraordinary talent'

The Atlanta Falcons had quite possibly the boldest offseason in the NFL, signing quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal ($100 million guaranteed) and also drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Team owner Arthur Blank made the case for why the Falcons, whom he labeled "independent thinkers," were wise to allocate substantial resources to a pair of quarterbacks.

"We made it clear to Kirk and others that we probably were going to draft a quarterback during this draft. As it turned out, Michael Penix, for our coaching staff and our personnel department, graded extraordinarily high. They viewed him as a tremendous player," Blank told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. "We've been through a situation, post-Matt Ryan, when we're seeing that movie when we didn't have a franchise quarterback. We didn't want to repeat that again. I mean, I certainly didn't. I'm super sensitive to all forms of succession planning. After 60-odd years of business, in any business, that's critical. At the key position, the quarterback position in the NFL, that's very important. 

"So, just listening to our coaching staff and our personnel department, they really made the decision. Michael was going to be available at number eight. They saw an extraordinary talent. Kirk Cousins is our franchise quarterback, is our starting quarterback, and he seems to be doing great from a medical standpoint."

Cousins, who will be 36 at the start of the 2024 season, had his 2023 campaign cut short after eight games due to a torn Achilles. He spent the previous six seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, which was preceded by six seasons in Washington, with him being the full-time starter the last three years (2015-17).

Prior to the Achilles tear, Cousins totaled 2,331 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 103.8 passer rating, while completing 69.5% of his passes.

Meanwhile, Penix finished second in 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, a year after finishing eighth. Over his two seasons in Washington (2022-23), Penix averaged 4,772 passing yards, 33.5 passing touchdowns, 9.5 interceptions and a 154.2 passer rating per season, while completing 65.4% of his passes.

The Huskies went a combined 25-3 with Penix under center, highlighted by reaching last season's College Football Playoff National Championship game.

Atlanta is coming off a third consecutive 7-10 season, which resulted in head coach Arthur Smith's dismissal in favor of former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator and former Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris. Furthermore, the Falcons haven't made the playoffs or had a winning record since 2017. 

Atlanta has started three quarterbacks over the past two years, which came after trading the veteran and four-time Pro Bowler Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022: Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota and Taylor Heinicke.

"We hope and pray he's [Cousins] got three to four great years in front of him, maybe beyond that. Who knows? But we also know that at some point, there will be a point that we'll need a transition," Blank said about Atlanta's future at quarterback. "We want to make sure we do that smoothly."

Blank referenced the Green Bay Packers, who traded up to select quarterback Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft and sat him behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons, as a potential model for the Falcons; Love helped the Packers reach the NFC divisional round in his first full season under center (2023) and earned a four-year, $220 million extension from Green Bay last week.

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