Falcons' Kirk Cousins addresses helping Michael Penix Jr. while trying to win

Atlanta Falcons veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins had better realize that media members aren't going to stop asking him about the club making Michael Penix Jr. the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft anytime soon. 

During ESPN's coverage of the full schedule release for the 2024 NFL regular season on Wednesday night, Marcus Spears became the latest person to publicly ask Cousins how he'll balance helping Penix develop while working to learn a new offense. 

"I've always found that the quarterback room needs to be a working force where everybody is pulling together, trying to help one another succeed," Cousins told Spears. "And it's really always been that way. I expect it to continue to be that way." 

Cousins suffered a torn right Achilles while with the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 29 but nevertheless received a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed to join the Falcons early in free agency. It's now clear that the 35-year-old didn't know that Atlanta could spend pick No. 8 of this year's draft on his eventual replacement, and Cousins declined earlier in the week to confirm or deny that he would’ve made a different choice had he known about the club's plans. 

"I think that we are all working together to help our team win football games," Cousins continued while addressing Spears and the rest of the ESPN crew. "So, that's been the focus since the draft. It will be the focus moving forward. And I do like our group." 

As shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot, Cousins also discussed his recovery and whether or not he'll be cleared for the Week 1 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 8.

"It's a bull market and you should be buying," a confident Cousins declared. "I expect to be playing Week 1 against Pittsburgh." 

First-year Falcons head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged earlier this week that he now must "manage the expectations from the fans and them wanting you to do something maybe quicker than you want to do it" regarding what's become an awkward situation. Cousins theoretically could force his way to a different team as soon as March 2025, and one can't help but wonder if he's already thinking about a possible next career step.