NFL analyst sees $180,000,000 star as perfect backup to injury-ridden Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. - "It makes sense"

Michael Penix Jr. will be the starter for the 2025 Atlanta Falcons, but Kirk Cousins will remain with the team as a backup. The decision was made on Saturday as the veteran quarterback had a $10 million guaranteed bonus activated for the 2026 season.

The idea of keeping Cousins, who is in the midst of a four-year $180 million deal as per Spotrac, on the roster was met with surprise by many fans and analysts.

With Penix taking over as the starter, the expectation was that the Falcons would try to move Cousins to open cap space. However, Atlanta has been adamant about keeping him as a backup to help mentor its new starter.

The Falcons' plan has been praised by NFL analyst Rich Eisen on his YouTube channel. Eisen believes that, based on Penix's injury history and Cousins' knowledge as a veteran, it's smart to keep him around, even if he's an expensive backup (26:00):

“Michael Penix Jr. has Kirk Cousins, a professional Kirk Cousins in his ear, in his quarterback room. Period. End of story. Kirk may not like it, but to go to work with Kirk Cousins telling you 'Hey, look out for this, this, this, I would do this.'

"He's going through his preparations because he's a professional, and then Michael has had an injury history, so if Michael goes down, you know who goes in - boom, Kirk Cousins. It makes sense.”

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris confirms Michael Penix Jr. is the starter moving forward

Atlanta surprised the NFL when it decided to pick a quarterback with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team had just signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal, and everybody believed that he would be their starter for years to come.

It wasn't to be. Penix was a top-10 pick, and before the end of the season, he already took over as the starter in Atlanta. Head coach Raheem Morris, speaking during the 2025 NFL Combine, confirmed that this would remain the pecking order for the upcoming season:

"Michael Penix is our quarterback and Michael Penix will continue to be our quarterback. We stood here last year and we talked about looking for that guy, and we believe we've found him.

"And I've got so much confidence in Penix leading us into the future and I believe our whole building does and I believe our fan base does and I believe our owner does."

Cousins will hold a $40 million cap hit in the 2025 season.