The Minnesota Vikings made a big change this offseason by letting go of four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of eventual first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy.
Cousins would later join the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year deal worth $180 million.
According to insider Albert Breer, one of the many reasons why Cousins chose to switch teams is because Minnesota told him they were going to draft a quarterback of the future with a high pick (via The Purple Persuasion).
Per @AlbertBreer, one of the big reasons Kirk Cousins decided to leave Minnesota this offseason was the fact that the #Vikings told him they were drafting a QB of the future high in the draft 👀
Breer thinks Cousins is “stinging a bit from the whole ordeal” with the #Falcons… pic.com/6504wi4hTp
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 6, 2024
Of course, the Falcons ended up drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, which was a surprise to Cousins, “who is stinging a bit from the whole ordeal,” according to Breer.
That was the most shocking move of the 2024 NFL Draft by far.
It is hard to fathom why Atlanta would pay Cousins all that money just to use a high draft pick on their eventual starter.
If their angle is that they are trying to copy the Green Bay model, when the Packers drafted both Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love, they selected both of those guys way later in their respective drafts.
Also, Green Bay didn’t exactly sign Brett Favre and Rodgers to massive deals just before they made the selection of the next quarterback.
The Falcons must assume that Cousins will be done after three years.
Penix cannot sit for four years and then get paid.
It was such a weird move on so many fronts.
If Atlanta doesn’t win a Super Bowl with Cousins, this move has to be one that is questioned, especially if Penix turns out to not be very good at the NFL level.
