Tuesday evening, the Atlanta Falcons announced rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will start Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. The decision came after five weeks of underwhelming play from their $180,000,000 quarterback, Kirk Cousins.In the last five games, Cousins has thrown only one touchdown compared to nine interceptions. The Falcons have gone 1-4 and lost control of their playoff destiny after being in the drivers seat in the NFC South. Cousins leads the NFL with 16 interceptions. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after Monday night’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders he’d evaluate everything. “We’ll get all the coordinators in the room,” Morris said. “We’ll talk with everybody. We got to play better at the quarterback position.”After those meetings, it was decided the best path towards victory, at least for this week, is to start Michael Penix Jr. During the Tuesday press conference, Morris was largely non-committal regarding Cousins’s immediate future. “After review we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward,” Morris said, via a statement released by the Falcons. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”The RamificationsMichael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies looks to pass during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2024 CFP National Championship game at NRG Stadium on January 8, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)Penix was complimentary of Cousins after getting selected 8th overall during the 2024 NFL Draft.“He’s been in the league,” Penix said of Cousins in a phone call with the press. “He’s been in there for a while. He’s played a lot of football. I feel like I’m gonna come in and I’m gonna learn. I’m gonna learn from him.”Cousins’s in-season earnings in 2024 ($12.5 million) and 2025 ($27.5 million) are fully guaranteed. If the Falcons were to release Cousins after the 2024 season, they’d be on the hook for $65 million in dead money and cost themselves $25 million in net cap space. If the Falcons cut Cousins after June 1, 2025, the move would leave Atlanta with $40 million in dead cap on their books, placing the team in cap Hell. Kirk Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract.The post Raheem Morris announces Michael Penix Jr. will be the starter ‘going forward’ appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.