The Atlanta Falcons have put Kirk Cousins in front of his successor a month after signing him. This is how the veteran reacted to the surprise pick

When the ominous call came, it was apparently very straightforward after all.

At least that’s what Kirk Cousins says. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback took it in stride that his new team had selected his potential successor at number eight in the draft a month after signing him: Michael Penix.

“I was at the team event at the stadium, I was on my way back when they called me and said, ‘Hey, we’re taking a quarterback with the pick. ‘ And I said, ‘OK,'” Cousins said.

That was it. No drama, no anger, no controversy. Quite the opposite of the media outcry.

Falcons: Peace, joy, pancakes

However, it’s still all sunshine and roses for the Falcons. In fact, Penix had recently declared that he wanted to learn from Cousins. And patiently waiting for his chance.

And Cousins, who signed a four-year contract worth 180 million dollars in free agency, is taking it as it comes.

“There’s always going to be competition in this league, and you always have to earn it. I’m going to control what I can control, but also understand that there’s a lot you can’t control,” he said. Meaning: “I learned a long time ago that you have to focus on what you can control.”

Of course, there’s also the question of what he would have done in free agency if he had known what the Falcons were going to do in the draft. But that’s hypothetical.

“I don’t really deal in hypotheticals,” Cousins said. “We could go down that road for a long time in a lot of ways. It just doesn’t get us anywhere. I’m excited about this opportunity that I have. I think it’s a real privilege to be the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, and I’m trying to take advantage of the opportunity I’ve been given with the way I work every day and the way we’re playing this fall.”

To him, it’s important for the quarterback room to work together to help each other succeed, Cousins said, “And that’s the way it’s always been, that’s the way it always has to be, no matter what the names in the room are. We all have to work together to help each other be the best we can be. “