Falcons maybe should have passed on Penix

The first round of the NFL draft was unprecedented, with a record number of quarterbacks, receivers, and offensive linemen taken in the first 32 picks.

But the biggest story Thursday night was a head-scratcher that left most everyone around the NFL saying, “What the heck are the Falcons doing?”

They made the most unexpected pick of the night, Washington quarterback Michael Penix at No. 8. The selection came just six weeks after the Falcons gave Kirk Cousins a four-year,

$180 million deal, with $100 million fully guaranteed ($90 million over the first two years).

In Penix, they have a potential quarterback of the future, and also some insurance in case Cousins, 36, isn’t as good as advertised, or struggles to return from his torn Achilles’.

There’s also a chance that the Falcons know they’re about to get slammed with penalties — perhaps losing next year’s first-round pick? — for the tampering charges levied against them in their pursuit of Cousins.

“At some point, you’ve got to find a way to have that succession plan in place,” new coach Raheem Morris said. “It just so happened it presented itself tonight.”

The Falcons went 7-10 last year because they underinvested in the quarterback, pinching pennies with youngster Desmond Ridder and journeyman Taylor Heinicke. But they have overcorrected in 2024, spending so many assets on quarterbacks that they created a cauldron of controversy in their QB room that is already starting to bubble.

To say Cousins and his people were surprised is a massive understatement. His agent, Mike McCartney (uncle of Patriots quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney), took the rare step of issuing onthe-record comments to NFL Network and other outlets.

“Yes, it was a big surprise. We had no idea this was coming,” Mike McCartney said. “We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation.”

General manager Terry Fontenot

and Morris wouldn’t reveal what Cousins said on the phone, but “he’s a competitor, and you can always expect those things to go kind of like you think,” Morris said.

The Cousins camp’s frustration is understandable. The Falcons could have used the No. 8 pick on an edge rusher they sorely need, or a cornerback to bolster the secondary, or tight end Brock Bowers to give Cousins another weapon. Instead, they took a quarterback who won’t play much, if at all, in 2024 or 2025, and whose mere existence threatens Cousins’s job security on a daily basis.

It’s also curious that the Falcons are taking a slow, long-term plan with Penix, one of the oldest quarterbacks in the draft who turns 24 on May 8. Quarterbacks certainly can play well into their 30s, but Penix has the profile of a guy who should be playing sooner rather than later.

The Falcons showed Cousins the love in March with $100 million guaranteed, including a whopping $62.5 million in 2024. But now they’ve angered their starting quarterback and created unnecessary friction. It’s fair to wonder if Cousins is having second thoughts about signing with the Falcons, with whom he had no relationship before this offseason.

Of course, Cousins has no choice but to suck it up. There’s nothing wrong with the Falcons putting a little pressure on Cousins to perform. The arrival of Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014 brought out the best in Tom Brady for the next four years. There’s a thought that Cousins got a little too comfortable in his six years in Minnesota, always making top dollar and never being challenged for his job. Perhaps Penix’s arrival will force Cousins to rethink his Tuesday mind-clearing trips to Barnes & Noble and get him to study film like 31 other starting quarterbacks.

And even though the Falcons gave Cousins $100 million guaranteed, maybe it really is just a one-year commitment, as the contract was front-loaded. The Broncos are paying Russell Wilson

$38 million not to play this year, surely the Falcons could try the same with Cousins next year when he’s making $27.5 million (plus $10 million guaranteed in 2026).

The Falcons clearly regret not doing enough at quarterback last year, and went the extra mile in 2024 to give themselves two layers of protection. Drafting Penix may turn out to be a brilliant move if it brings out the best in Cousins, or if Penix develops into the long-term starter.

But the Falcons also went overboard with their investment in quarterbacks, and may have created a giant mess that has the potential to split the locker room and create headaches.

GOING DEEP Additional info on Patriots’ Maye

Tidbits picked up on new Patriots quarterback Drake Maye after spending about 20 minutes with him Wednesday in Detroit at an NFL flag football event with the Special Olympics:

When asked what he told teams about himself in meetings, Maye said, “I think they’re getting a winner. They’re getting a competitor who’s going to leave it all out there. Wanting to win is one thing, but hating to lose is different. So just hate losing, and ready to go out there and compete.”

Asked of his time management goals, Maye responded, “Stop procrastinating. I’m a big procrastinator — growing up in school, always waiting to do the project the last night. So, try to get rid of procrastination.”

Maye, listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 225 pounds, is not shy about who he models his game after. “It’s easy to say [Patrick] Mahomes, he’s the best in the business now. But I think the big 6-5 guys, Josh Allen and [Justin] Herbert. To be compared to any of them will be a blessing.” Bill Belichick quipped about it on Pat McAfee’s draft special Thursday night. “Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen. He’s been doing that for quite a while,” Belichick said. “We’ll see about that.”

Maye was born and raised in Charlotte and considers himself a “big Panther fan.” He said his first NFL jersey was that of former receiver Steve

Smith, and that he and his father were in the stands at Super Bowl 50 when the Panthers lost to the Broncos, when Maye was 13. Maye, born Aug. 30,

2002, was not quite 1½ years old when the Patriots beat the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

I was impressed by Maye’s demeanor at Wednesday’s event. While some of the 13 draft prospects kind of stood around and went through the motions, Maye was fully engaged throughout the 90-minute clinic, giving hands-on instruction to athletes with special needs, and honoring every photo and autograph request. I saw it as a sign of maturity and humility.

ETC.

On the offensive in the first round

Some other observations and nuggets from Thursday’s first round:

The first 14 picks were offensive players, surpassing the previous record of seven. Twenty-three of the 32 picks were on offense, breaking the record of 19. This year was the first time five quarterbacks were taken in the first 10 picks, and six in the first 12. The seven wide receivers and eight offensive tackles drafted also tied for the most all time.

The Giants made a smart decision with wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 6 instead of trading up for Drake Maye or taking J.J. McCarthy. The Giants clearly don’t love Daniel Jones ,andI know for a fact that the Giants called the Patriots about the No. 3 pick, but the Giants were wise to avoid the awkwardness and controversy that would have come with a rookie quarterback (that the Falcons strangely signed up for).

The Giants had a much bigger need at receiver and got one of the best in the draft without having to give up extra picks. Jones’s guaranteed money runs out next year, and the Giants can address quarterback then (maybe Kirk Cousins will be available).

The Falcons’ surprise pick of Michael Penix perhaps threw off other teams’ draft boards. It forced the Vikings to trade up from No. 11 to 10 to ward off the Broncos and Raiders from drafting McCarthy. It perhaps forced the Broncos to use No. 12 on Bo Nix.

And it left the Raiders empty-handed at No. 13, forced to find a quarterback lower in the draft to join Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.

Bad news for McCarthy if he doesn’t like the comparisons to Mac Jones. Like Jones, McCarthy was the fifth quarterback picked in the draft.

Don’t tell the Bills they need a wide receiver to replace Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The Bills twice traded down, from 28 to 32 and then from 32 to 33, and each time a receiver went off the board, with the Chiefs snagging Xavier Worthy and the Panthers getting Xavier Legette. But the Bills still got Florida State’s Keon Coleman with the 33rd pick on Friday night.

GM John Lynch said the 49ers are “really efforting to get something done” with Brandon Aiyuk, and that “Deebo [Samuel] is a big part of this team.” But the 49ers’ selection of Ricky Pearsall

shows Lynch is clearly preparing to move on from one or both, this offseason or next.

Aiyuk, seeking a long-term deal as he plays on his fifth-year option, still texted Lynch and Kyle Shanahan on Thursday night about Pearsall, his former teammate at Arizona State.

“Fire pick, can’t lie,” Aiyuk said, per Lynch.

Bengals usually don’t budge

Bengals receiver Tee Higgins publicly requested a trade not long after getting the franchise tag instead of a longterm deal. Teammate Trey Hendrickson joined him this past week, publicly requesting a trade with two years and $31 million left on his contract.

Some teams honor trade requests and quickly move on from disgruntled players. The Bengals are usually not one of them.

Carson Palmer tried to request a trade in the spring of 2011, and it went horribly. Owner Mike Brown refused, drafted Andy Dalton in the second round, and placed Palmer on the reserve/did not report list at the start of training camp, withholding his salary. Only after the Bengals started 6-2 with Dalton, and the Raiders lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell to injury, did Brown agree to trade Palmer, fleecing the Raiders for a first- and secondround pick.

Higgins hasn’t signed his $21.815 million franchise tag, meaning the Bengals can’t fine him for skipping mandatory minicamp or training camp. Higgins, though, seems to have accepted that he’ll be playing in Cincinnati in 2024, recently saying at his youth football camp, “I do anticipate it.”

Hendrickson, meanwhile, has almost no leverage.

Since he is under contract for two more years, the Bengals can fine Hendrickson a maximum of $101,716 if he skips all three days of minicamp in June, plus $50,000 per day of training camp that he misses, and one week of salary for each preseason game he skips.

Not only does Brown not give in to trade demands, but the Bengals are gunning for the Super Bowl this year and seem to have no interest in trading their best pass rusher and No. 2 receiver.

Wilson gets a fresh start

Few people shed a tear this past week in greater New York when Zach Wilson was traded to Denver, with the Jets and Broncos also swapping picks 6203 and 7-256.

But Wilson, only 24, got a nice welcome to Colorado when Peyton Manning reached out by phone and then spoke highly of Wilson on 104.3 The Fan.

“The change of scenery for Zach Wilson, I think, is going to be a good one,” Manning said. “I think it’s a great Chapter 2 for Zach. He will get coached hard here by Sean Payton and their staff.

He’s obviously very talented.”

The Broncos now have a crowded quarterback room, with Nix joining Jarrett Stidham, Ben DiNucci, and Wilson. The Broncos are paying Wilson $2.7 million guaranteed, which isn’t enough to guarantee him a roster spot, but Manning thinks the fresh start will be good for him.

“Let’s just sort of start over, right?” Manning said of Wilson. “And let’s just let Sean Payton and his staff coach you and kind of start from ground zero, which I think might be just what Zach needs.”

Extra points

Marvin Harrison Jr. is going about things his own way as he begins his career. Harrison didn’t participate at the NFL Combine or his Pro Day, didn’t do any pre-draft media, and still got taken No. 4. Harrison also didn’t sign the NFL Players Association licensing agreement, meaning fans can’t buy his jersey and he can’t be in Madden video games. But he retains his NIL rights and isn’t restrained by any NFLPA licensing deals . . . Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said new consultant Mike Vrabel is “really, really going to help me” because of his experience as a head coach, and noted that Vrabel has been helping GM Andrew Berry analyze draft prospects and special teams coach Bubba Ventrone with the new kickoff rules. “He’s just an incredible resource for us,” Stefanski said on 92.3 The Fan. “Once he wasn’t going to be a head coach this year — which I was shocked, I expected him to be a head coach — once he wasn’t in this cycle, I was like, ‘Dude if you’re not doing anything, we’ll take you, whatever you’re willing to give us.’ ” . . . A grievance may be coming soon from star pass rusher Micah Parsons, whom the Cowboys listed as a defensive end and not a linebacker for the purposes of his fifth-year option in 2025. The salary for a defensive end is $21.324 million, and for a linebacker it would have been $24.007 million . . . It’s weird seeing the Lions act like a functional team. They smartly signed young core players Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell to massive contract extensions this past week, a year before they hit free agency. It keeps the players happy, sends a good message to the locker room, and is also good business, as the Lions probably got a bit of a hometown discount . . . It was long overdue for the Heisman Trust to restore Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy. It feels like O.J. Simpson’s recent death helped push the decision over the goal line, as it once again highlighted the absurdity of Simpson still holding his trophy but Bush losing his over trivial matters . . . The Titans and Texans are building a nasty little rivalry. The Titans rubbed Houston’s face in it by wearing Oilers throwback uniforms against the Texans in December. Then the Titans caused a stink this offseason about the Texans’ desire to use “Columbia Blue” as part of their new Color Rush uniforms, which the Titans still own from their Houston days. “There was some push and shove, and we came to where we could get to with the NFL, giving us a compromise, sort of a certain percentage in the uniform,” Texans owner Cal McNair said. When asked where the push and shove came from, his wife, Hannah McNair, responded, “What do you think?” When asked if the Titans are their biggest rival, Hannah McNair said, “Well, first they need to beat us.”