The Atlanta Falcons surprised the NFL world when they followed their significant free agent investment in former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins by taking University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Any sort of quarterback controversy took a while to materialize, until Cousins' performance erosion put him on the bench in favor of Penix for the final three games last season.
The Falcons then fully committed to Penix as their starting quarterback, as expected, while remaining steadfast in the idea that they will retain Cousins as a highly paid backup, barring something unforeseen.