Looks like the Falcons took a significant gamble after week 15. The team is on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs, and they have decided to sit Kirk Cousins at this critical point. This implies that Michael Penix Jr. will be the new starting quarterback. Many questions have been raised about this choice, but it appears that NFL legends like Rob Gronkowski support the decision. So, what exactly did the former TE say?

For those who missed it, the NFL icon appeared on The Up and Adams Show. There, he discussed what was going on with the Falcons and Kirk Cousins. The TE explained that while the quarterback is excellent, there are some major issues. Although he has a 66.9% success rate on 453 passes for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns this year. There have been some major flaws too.

Well, for the past five weeks, the quarterback has not been in his best passing form. In five games, he recorded nine interceptions, causing the team to lose its offensive advantage. Rob Gronkowski highlighted these issues and said, “I think it’s a good decision cause Kirk Cousins hasn’t been playing up to the standards they need him to play… this is the NFL, the BEST man plays.”

Interestingly, Kirk Cousins’ benching can leave a negative impact. But, why? Well, because the benching happened in his first season with the Falcons. The QB inked a four-year contract with the team at the start of this year. The contract is for $180 million, demonstrating how much the Falcons believed in him from the outset. His benching may signal that the team has given up hope in the 36-year-old.

This assumption is further supported by Rob Gronkowski’s statements. Surprisingly, this was not the first time the former tight end has made some remarks about Cousins.

Rob Gronkowski expected the Vikings to trade Kirk Cousins in 2023

Well, as you may recall, the 2023 season was also not that successful for the experienced QB. He was with the Vikings at the time, and they had a rough start to the season, going 0-3. Kirk Cousins was under a lot of pressure in the fourth week since there were a lot of expectations. Gronkowski believed that if the Vikings lost that game, they should trade away Cousins. This would provide more room for better talent.

Gronk had said, “For some reason, if the Vikings lose, Kirk Cousins should be shipped out 100% and he should be shipped out to the New York Jets. And why I think that makes sense is because it’s his last year on his contract.”

While this was a major fear for Kirk, it never came true. The Vikings performed well against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4. The quarterback was able to lead his side to a 21-13 victory with two touchdown passes.

While this was a fantastic game for Minnesota, they concluded the season with 7 wins and 10 losses. This could explain why they never re-signed Cousins when his deal expired in 2023. Tell us your opinion on this. Do you believe Kirk Cousins should have been benched before?