Kirk Cousins on Falcons drafting QB: ‘I don’t really deal in hypotheticals’
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins broke his silence, sort of, for the first time on Tuesday about the Atlanta Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr. No. 8 overall.
Cousins appeared on the Bussin with the Boys podcast, and was asked about the Falcons drafting the former Washington quarterback with their first round pick. Just hours after NFL free agency opened in March, Cousins signed a four-year deal with the Falcons worth $180 million, including $100 million guaranteed.
He was a tad blindsided when the Falcons sent shockwaves through the NFL Draft by taking Penix. He was asked on the podcast if he would’ve signed in Atlanta had he known they were taking a quarterback in the first round.
"I don’t really deal in hypotheticals. We could go down that path for a long time in a lot of ways. It just doesn’t do us any good. I’m excited for this opportunity that I have," Cousins said. "I think it’s a real privilege to be the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons and I’m trying to make good on the opportunity given me with the way I work each day and the way we play this fall."
Not surprising that Cousins took the high road there, though on draft night reports emerged that he was shocked by their decision to take Penix. On the same podcast, Cousins said the Vikings told him they might take a quarterback in the first round of the 2021 draft. That class featured Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Minnesota native Trey Lance. There were rumors they were interested in Justin Fields, and possibly Mac Jones.
Cousins signed a two-year extension before that draft. He says he’s going to control what he can control, and that’s going through the Falcons’ offseason workout program.
"Always going to be competition in this league and you’ve always go out and earn it. I’m going to control what I can control, also understand there’s a lot you don’t control," Cousins said. "I learned a long time ago that you’ve got to focus on what you can control."
