Michael Penix Jr. had 'a very good conversation' with Falcons QB Kirk Cousins on draft night

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft took a turn once Michael Penix Jr.'s name was called by the Falcons on Thursday night.

Despite just signing Kirk Cousinsto a four-year, $180 million contract, Atlanta decided to invest in its future by selecting the highly-touted quarterback prospect out of Washington with the eighth overall pick. The move not only shocked the NFL world, but came as a "big surprise" to Cousins' camp on draft night, per NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo.

Upon his introduction in Atlanta on Friday, Penix told reporters that he and Cousins already "had a very good conversation" on draft night, but declined to go into any specifics.

"I'm going to keep it just between me and him right now. It was definitely a good conversation," Penix said. "I'm super excited to work with him and he said he's the same with me."

Penix burst onto the scene last year while leading the Washington Huskies to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the 2024 CFP National Championship Game. The left-handed quarterback conducted a high-powered offense that featured wideout Rome Odunze, who was taken by the Chicago Bears with the very next pick at No. 9, and he set the school's single-season record for passing yards (4,641) while throwing 36 touchdowns as a senior. He collected the Maxwell Award as the nation's top player in the process while also being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot reiterated on Friday that selecting Penix was indeed a forward-thinking decision for the franchise.

"This wasn't us forcing something," Fontenot said. "This was just we have a lot of belief in the player. We know he can be a future franchise player. That's why we made the decision to do that right now."

Raheem Morris