Falcons put in 'terrible cap situation' with Michael Penix Jr pick after Kirk Cousins signing: ex-NFL player
Tank Williams offers insights on OutKick's 'Hot Mic'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former NFL defensive back Tank Williams was among those caught off guard when the Atlanta Falcons decided to take quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick of the NFL Draft.
Williams appeared on OutKick’s "Hot Mic" on Monday and agreed that the Falcons’ selection of Penix, along with a ton of guaranteed money owed to newly signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, puts the team’s salary cap into dire straits.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kirk Cousins (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images/File)
"When it first went down, that was my initial impression," Williams said. "If you want to build a winner in the NFL, we’ve already seen what the model is. You lock in a young quarterback who punches above his weight early on in his career, and that allows you to put so many pieces around him because you’re in a better cap situation. We’ve seen it with the Houston Texans. We’ve seen it with so many other teams."
Williams said he doesn't understand how Atlanta could sign Cousins to a deal worth up to $180 million and then select Penix.
The former Washington standout will likely sign a four-year deal worth $22.8 million with a fifth-year team option and a $13.4 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac.
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Michael Penix (Michael Hickey/Getty Images/File)
"So, if you knew Michael Penix was going to be your guy, why would you go ahead and guarantee Kirk Cousins over $100 million and then go and draft this guy top 10."
"So, one, you put yourself into a terrible cap situation moving forward. You don’t notify Kirk Cousins what your attentions are, so now your quarterback room is already a little bit jaded from jump street. Then, if you feel like you could win immediately, you got these two quarterbacks on your roster where you have this top-heavy draft pool. You end up wasting on a quarterback when you could’ve had a running back or a wide receiver or an offensive lineman or some of the other pieces to the puzzle, yet you spend it on Michael Penix."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Regardless of whether it was with the Falcons, Williams said Penix should’ve been in the top 10.
Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot (Stacy Revere/Getty Images/File)
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"As far as talent alone, the kid deserved to be drafted in the top 10. I just don’t like the way the Falcons went about it," he said.
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