The most important shock of the 2024 NFL Draft was the Atlanta Falcons deciding on quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, and followers weren’t the one ones shocked by the choice.
Lower than two months after the workforce signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in free company, the transfer to draft a quarterback so early within the draft bewildered workforce leaders in an nameless survey of present and former workforce executives.
“I’d like to know what the conversations had been in Atlanta main as much as that and why there was no grownup supervision,” one nameless former common supervisor informed The Athletic.
Different execs contemplated what this mentioned concerning the workforce’s front-office setup.
“Keep in mind, the explanation they went with Raheem Morris as a substitute of Invoice Belichick (as head coach) was as a result of he wouldn’t push again towards the entrance workplace,” one other exec mentioned. “The 2 groups that rejected Belichick did the alternative of what Invoice would have performed, and that features New England drafting Drake Maye.”
After the draft, Cousins’ agent informed The Athletic the workforce referred to as the quarterback once they had been on the clock to let him know they had been taking Penix. Cousins knew the workforce was planning on drafting a passer, however was shocked once they took one within the first spherical, and Cousins’ largest concern is that the decide doesn’t assist the workforce for the upcoming season.
One exec informed The Athletic the problem with the choice isn’t associated to Penix’s expertise or potential, however reasonably the complicated team-building philosophy.
“I actually like Penix, but when you’ll draft him, why would you not have taken Justin Fields from Chicago or signed Russell Wilson after which drafted Penix?” the exec mentioned. “Nobody would fault you for that. They’d have been a lot better off with cash invested elsewhere. And the factor about Penix is, he is able to play now. He isn’t the rookie QB that should wait.”
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