The Falcons knew what they were doing when they selected Michael Penix Jr as their No.8 overall this season. The clock already started ticking on Kirk Cousins the moment he signed his $180M deal that had $100M in guarantees. Everyone knew that if Cousins failed to live up to his value in Atlanta, the sky would fall upon his head. And it did. Former Washington Huskies QB was handed the keys to lead the Falcons for their remaining games this season.

Penix is coming into the role with an insane reputation. He had 4,903 passing yards to his name last season with the Huskies, which none of the other QBs in the nation managed to reach. Well, he also completed 65.4% of his passes with 36 TDs and 11 interceptions. So Penix is expected to do the same when he starts his Falcons tenure against the measly Giants on Sunday. But before he takes the gridiron for the Falcons, their RB Bijan Robinson offered his thoughts on the 24-year-old.

“For me, and all the rest of the guys, we love both of those guys [Cousins & Penix], we support them both to the max…we just gotta adapt and be appreciative of both of them. But, it’s going to be fun getting to work…”  While the Falcons massively struggled in their last 5 games, where they lost four on a bounce. Robinson had been their only shining light on the pitch because of his explosiveness.

Within that same time, when Cousins threw just 1 TD. Bijan scored 4 rushing TDs while racking up 470 rushing yards on 102 carries. Now, he will expect that Michael Penix Jr can reintroduce that flair, which the Falcons lost mid-season. Otherwise, they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye to whatever is left this season. Now, here’s the thing. The Falcons didn’t just sack their 36-year-old QB. They will release him from their roster at the earliest to save some money.

Falcons preparing for an early divorce with Kirk Cousins

The way Cousins’ contract is designed, he either had to perform every week or risk losing his job in Atlanta. And it seems the latter has come true. Days after Michael Penix Jr. was named the starter, the Falcons are not willing to pay their veteran QB anymore. With a no-trade clause in his $180M contract, the Falcons front office had to make a decision. They are preparing the documents to release Cousins before March 17th and save a $10M bonus in 2026. But there’s no denying that the damage has already been done.

Cousins has already eaten up $90M for 14 games he has played in Atlanta. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom from the very beginning. Cousins had a career-high 509 passing yards when he threw 4 TDs against the Bucs in week 5. It also kickstarted a five-game run that saw him complete 72.2% of his passes with a 13:3 TD-to-INT ratio. But it all started to go wrong thereafter. The Falcons went on a 4-game losing streak while winning their last clash against the Raiders.

Although the Falcons snapped their losing streak, the damage had already been done. Cousins threw just 1 TD and 9 interceptions. He is also leading the interceptions chart with 16 and fumbles 13. Now, with Cousins off his position in Atlanta. The Falcons have thrown all their hopes behind the 24-year-old rookie QB. And he would have the perfect opportunity against the Giants to show what he can bring to the Falcons.