Patrick Mahomes’ Aunt Backs Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. Decision as Kirk Cousins Expected to Face Russell Wilson Fate

The Atlanta Falcons signing Michael Penix Jr. was a head-scratching decision for many, especially after the team signed Kirk Cousins for a four-year $180 million deal. Now many fans and analysts can’t seem to let go of the thought that Cousins might suffer the same fate as Russell Wilson, who was prematurely let go from the Denver Broncos.

But the deal that the Falcons made with Cousins doesn’t matter in the long run, per Patrick Mahomes’ aunt Tinesha Mahomes, who appeared in a recent episode of 2 Gems and a Mic Sports Podcast. Her rationale makes more sense if we investigate the situation keeping the future in mind.

Does the Falcons paying a huge sum to Kirk Cousins even matter?

Notably, Kirk Cousins has only won one playoff game in his career. Hence to many people, giving Cousins $50 million this year doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Stemming from this stream of thought, Darren Smith of the show decided to ask Tinesha Mahomes the question of the hour.

Why did the team sign Kirk Cousins when they could have hired a couple of defensive players and other offensive players for that matter? The guest thought that getting Penix Jr. was a great choice if the Falcons wanted to build for the future.

Per the hosts of the show, the team might find a way to counter the cap situation because it can’t be as brutal as what happened between Russell Wilson and the Broncos when their QB left the team with $85 million in dead cap. It is unlikely, though, that the team will let go of Cousins because their GM’s comments made it feel like he’s going to stick to his decision for as long as Kirk Cousins is healthy. Tinesha Mahomes’ thoughts were along the same lines and thinks money is not a cause for concern.

“People keep talking about the money, hell they going it’s going to be a um uh nowhere near as brutal as what they did with Russell. And guess what, if that’s your guy which I truly believe that Penix is that dude, I really do believe he is, you won’t be complaining about it when they start winning, you won’t care,” said Tinesha Mahomes.

However, it’s sad to see people losing trust in Kirk Cousins after his Achilles injury considering that he only seriously got injured twice throughout his career. But some scenarios exist should Cousins fail to deliver on his promises, and those scenarios might be in the QBs favor.

The Falcons are sure about keeping Kirk Cousins

The team’s GM Terry Fontenot made it clear that Kirk Cousins is their main quarterback. They hired Michael Penix Jr. because he was someone they couldn’t lose in their position, and they wanted some assurance for the future. Moreover, Cousins’ deal has a no-trade clause as well which means that Cousins can deny a trade if it doesn’t suit him.

“We’re very excited about Kirk. We’re very excited about this team. Michael Penix, we’re talking about the future. You look at the future. You look at the big picture. We are very excited about that quarterback room, and again, Kirk is our quarterback. But adding Michael Penix is thinking about the future,” said Fontenot of the QB.

Kirk Cousins leaving the Falcons seems scary as far as the dead cap and cap space, in general, is taken into account. But one thing that people didn’t factor in is how he’s not piled up a lot of injuries in his 12-season career. It was in 2023 that the QB had a serious Achilles injury. Draft Sharks suggests that Cousins has a slight 6% chance of getting injured in 2024.

If we’re talking about injuries, then we should also take Aaron Rodgers into account, who had a similar injury and is preparing to bounce back in the next season. We can’t tell Kirk Cousins’ fate until the next season starts.