Michael Penix Jr. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Falcons have explained their decision to draft Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as the No. 8 overall pick.

The team surprised everyone with their choice on Thursday night, but perhaps no one as much as their own QB, Kirk Cousins.

The team just handed the veteran a four-year, $180 million deal, suggesting they’re in win-now mode. But their decision to select Penix is clearly a move with the future in mind, and that’s exactly how the front office sees it.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the team opted to go with Penix because they felt it would be their only shot at securing a top first-round pick for a while, given how good Cousins is expected to be.

“Part of the reason Atlanta selected Penix is that it believes it won’t have a top pick in coming drafts with Cousins under center the next few years, a team source told The Athletic,” Russini wrote.

Atlanta Falcons GM Says The Team Couldn’t Afford To Pass Up On Penix

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot also explained the choice to draft Penix to reporters, insisting the team couldn’t pass up the opportunity, though their belief in Cousins remains the same.

“When you can add a high-caliber player like that with his intangibles, those tools — he’s a winner. Very, very excited. You don’t pass up that opportunity,” he said.

“Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We’re very excited about Kirk, we’re very excited about our team. Michael Penix is, we’re talking about the future. The draft is — you look at the future and you look at big picture…. Kirk is our quarterback, but adding Michael Penix is thinking about the future.”

Russini has also reported that Cousins was stunned by the choice as he wasn’t informed of it until the team was on the clock.