Kirk Cousins saying right things in light of being benched by Falcons

In a way, you've got to feel for Kirk Cousins. 

Sure, nobody is going to feel bad when looking at his paycheck. The Atlanta Falcons gave him a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason with $100 million of that guaranteed. Whether he plays or not, he's got $100 million in the bag — and that's never a bad thing.

Still, Cousins is a 13-year NFL veteran who has seen all the ups and downs that being a quarterback in this league can bring. He's also a likeable person. 

That's probably why the Falcons felt comfortable selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. No. 8 overall in this past draft despite seemingly committing to Cousins just weeks before.

It's also likely why head coach Raheem Morris felt comfortable benching Cousins despite the fact that there's only three games left in the season. The Falcons are 7-7 and technically have a 20 percent shot to make the playoffs, and they're giving the reins over to the rookie to see if he can close this thing out.

It's a risky move by the Falcons, but credit to Cousins, because he's handling it well — in public, at least.

"It's pro football, and there's a standard that I have for myself, that the team has for me, that unfortunately, I wasn't playing up to that standard consistently enough," Cousins said on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "And so, it is what it is, and you roll with it and now you still get ready — 'one play away' kind of a thing — and support Mike and just try to help our team be able to find a way to win these last three to get in the playoffs, and that's what it's all about."

Notably, Cousins did say that he called Penix after the news broke to express his support.

He called to, "Just let him know I'd be in his corner and supporting him and trying to help him any way I can."

Again, Cousins seems to be handling this well. What he hasn't handled well in 2024 has been the football. He leads the NFL in interceptions at the time of his benching with 16.