Former Packers executive addresses Falcons' Michael Penix Jr., Kirk Cousins situation

Andrew Brandt was an executive with the Green Bay Packers when they took quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a first-round draft pick in 2005 even though they had Hall of Famer Brett Favre atop their depth chart at that time. 

For a Sports Illustrated piece published on Tuesday, Brandt compared that situation and the Packers drafting Jordan Love as Rodgers' eventual replacement in 2020 to the Atlanta Falcons signing Kirk Cousins in free agency before they made signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. the eighth overall pick of this year's draft on April 25.

"Rodgers and Love were drafted 24th and 26th; Penix was drafted eighth," Brandt noted. "Favre and Rodgers starred for the Packers for over a decade when their replacements were drafted; Cousins has yet to play a snap on a new contract. While it is the same premise of a succession plan, this is different. And I don’t get it."

The Falcons gave Cousins a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed to convince him to leave the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in March. 

He seemingly wants to play for at least another four seasons even though he turns 36 years old this summer and is coming off a torn Achilles he suffered on Oct. 29. It's now believed he and the Falcons could agree to a divorce as soon as next offseason. 

"Cousins will almost certainly be replaced by Penix in 2026, after receiving $90M for two years (the Falcons will likely eat the remaining $10M guaranteed), something certainly never mentioned in the Falcons’ recruiting pitch to him," Brandt continued. "That would have to make him question trust in the team."

Cousins thus far has done well to publicly say the right things about sharing a quarterback room with Penix this spring and summer. Still, one doesn't have to think long and hard to produce a scenario that would involve Cousins essentially forcing a trade to a different club in March 2025.

"I know how hard this situation is to manage," Brandt added. "I used to hear from Favre’s camp all the time, saying, 'Andrew, do you know what it’s like having to come into work every day and sit next to your replacement?' This is now the situation for Cousins."

Landing Rodgers roughly 19 years ago proved to be a brilliant move for the Packers. Perhaps history ultimately will look fondly on Atlanta drafting Penix this spring. 

At this stage of the process, though, there remain more questions than answers regarding why the Falcons didn't pursue a cheaper option in free agency if they expected to spend overall pick No. 8 of this year's draft on a quarterback.