Kirk Cousins Labelled “Football Mercenary” as Falcons QB Called Out for “Tiny Violins” Despite Not Being Good Enough Per Nick Wright

People tried to walk a mile into Atlanta Falcons’ shoes and were still left confused. Despite signing a humongous deal with Kirk Cousins, the team also drafted Michael Penix Jr. The move didn’t have Cousins’ consent written over it. Nonetheless, it was Atlanta’s way of making sure that they don’t go bust in the future.

Coming off from an Achilles injury, people don’t believe that Cousins can pick up where he left off. In fact, people like Nick Wright think that the QB is getting washed up as the years pass by and feel bad for Michael Penix Jr., who is at a weird point in his career.

Is Kirk Cousins cooked?

Nick Wright made an appearance on Colin Cowherd’s podcast and had a few things to say about Penix and Cousins. “I have not understood the tiny violins for Kirk Cousins that have been out,” said Wright and added, “Kirk Cousins is not good enough to get everything he wants.” As the guest made those statements, he pointed out his qualms with Atlanta’s new QB.

Per Wright, Cousins transferred to one of the “worst divisions” in football and has also got a huge paycheck. Not only that, the QB also plays at the venue of his choice but per Wright, Cousins is reluctant to compete. That’s something the Falcons can’t do away with because he’s been paired up with people like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.

But Nick Wright’s crass remarks didn’t stop there. “When you’re something of a football mercenary if you will, you taken the money and moved, whatever, and to his credit, there’s a trade-off and everything,” said Wright as he added, “You [Kirk Cousins] haven’t built up equity within the organization for them to be like ‘Oh man, he’s going to hate this.” Labelling him a mercenary sounds like Cousins is just biding his time in the league.

This statement might hold some truth because the Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr. came as a surprise to Kirk Cousins. But looking at the situation from the ex-Washington QBs eyes is as important as sympathizing with Kirk Cousins.

A flipside of Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback conundrum

Wright pointed out that despite Penix Jr. making his entry into the NFL, things didn’t quite work out for him. Why? Because Cousins signed a 4-year $180 million deal with the Falcons, Penix Jr. might stay in Cousins’ shadow for a very long time. And by the time the Atlanta team makes him their QB1, Penix Jr. would probably cross the age of 26.

A major grievance from the ex-Washington QBs side may be the fact that he could have been drafted at a place that was ready to put him to work from the get-go. Staying with the Falcons might put Penix Jr’s NFL career in the backseat for longer than he expected. This might hamper his chances of development and making a name for himself in the future.

Cousins is 35 now and might probably retire after his deal with the Falcons is over, or he reaches the age of 39. That’s a long time for Penix to be laid back and observant. This seems like inefficient player management on the Falcon’s part rather than something going in Kirk Cousins’ favor.