Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn’t made a start since the Falcons benched him for then-rookie Michael Penix Jr. in mid-December last season. Penix remains Atlanta’s QB1, but he’s now dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee. As a result, it’s “highly likely” that Cousins will start Sunday against the 1-6 Dolphins, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Penix, who suffered his injury in a loss to the 49ers last Sunday night, was limited in practice all week and is now listed as questionable. On Friday, Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Cousins had taken “significant” reps this week in practice and more reps later in the week rather than earlier.
“I’m really confident in our backup,” Morris said of Cousins. “We’re going to give [Penix] every opportunity we can give him. The kid is tough. He’s a guy. He’s a stud.”
As a four-time Pro Bowler who’s in the second season of a four-year, $180MM contract (with $100MM guaranteed), Cousins isn’t your typical backup. Cousins signed with the Falcons with the expectation that he’d serve as their unquestioned starter for multiple seasons. However, the team surprisingly used the eighth overall pick on Penix a little over a month later, immediately giving the Falcons an heir apparent.
Despite his exorbitant contract, Cousins fell out of favor in his first season with the Falcons as he struggled to regain form after tearing his Achilles while with the Vikings in 2023. He also dealt with shoulder and elbow injuries last season.
While Cousins wanted out of Atlanta during the offseason, the team wasn’t willing to grant his wish. Although Cousins has come up in trade rumors since then, the Falcons haven’t actively shopped him. They also won’t move him unless an acquiring team takes on the remainder of his fully guaranteed $27.5MM salary for 2026. That makes a trade before the Nov. 4 deadline highly unrealistic, setting up the 37-year-old to ride out the season in Atlanta.
For his part, Penix hasn’t come out of the gates quickly since he took over for Cousins. The Falcons are 4-5 in his starts, including 3-3 this season. The 25-year-old lefty has completed 61% of passes for 1,409 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in 2025. His 47.7 QBR ranks 22nd in the NFL, while advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus indicate that he has actually regressed since last year. Penix’s percentage of big-time throws, average depth of target, and turnover-worthy plays have all gone in the wrong direction.
With Morris regarding Penix as a “stud,” Cousins may not have a chance to reclaim the starting job even if fills in and plays well. However, it will be intriguing to see if a successful Cousins start leads to a QB controversy. The Falcons are second in total defense and seventh in total offense, but they rank 28th in points per game under Penix and are tied for the league’s second-worst red zone touchdown percentage. They’re sitting in 11th place in the NFC as a result.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.