Raheem Morris: This is never a good time to tell your starting QB that you're drafting a QB

No one outside the Falcons draft room saw them spending the No. 8 pick on a quarterback. The selection of University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix surprised both Penix and his new mentor, Kirk Cousins.

Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, Issue a statement Thursday night, saying they had not received advance notice of the Falcons' intent to acquire a quarterback.

The Falcons shocked Cousins, leaving him “stunned”.

“He was called on the clock, obviously because of the time sensitivity with the issues with what's going on,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “that it Never a good time To talk to a quarterback about that stuff, and the feedback is always going to be private when it comes to that stuff, unless Kirk decides to tell you some of that stuff no matter what. But he's a competitor, like all of us. And you can always expect these things to go exactly the way you think.”

Cousins ​​signed a fully guaranteed deal worth $90 million and another $10 million guaranteed next March. He will be the Falcons' starting quarterback for the next two seasons as long as he stays healthy, and the Falcons said as much after the draft.

but It's weird The Falcons will draft Cousins' successor in the first round before Cousins ​​plays a game for them.

“These are not easy decisions. These are tough decisions,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “But this is what we are thinking. We are thinking about the fans. We are thinking about this organization. We will build a sustainable winner. We will win for a long time. This is the most important position in football.”

The Falcons compared their plan to that of the Packers, who drafted Jordan Love with the 26th pick of the 2020 draft and then sat him behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons before dealing Rodgers to the Jets a year ago.

If all goes according to plan for the Falcons, Penix will sit, watch and learn for years before he ever starts a game for the Falcons.

Fontenot even suggested that waiting for Penix to become a starter could take several years, which is unlikely especially since Penix turns 24 next month.

“If you believe in a quarterback, you take him,” Fontenot said. “And if he sits for four or five years, that's a big problem because we do well in that position. So, it's simple, if you see a guy you believe in in that position, you take him.”