Atlanta Falcons bench Kirk Cousins, will go with Michael Penix 'moving forward'

There will be a new quarterback in Atlanta.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced rookie Michael Penix Jr. will be the starter for the team's upcoming game against the New York Giants, with Kirk Cousins headed to the bench.

"After review we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward," Morris said in a statement. "This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday's game against the New York Giants."

The moves comes after a decline in Cousins' play in recent weeks, particularly when it comes to turning the ball over. After Cousins guided Atlanta to a 6-3 start and an early lead in the NFC South, the Falcons dropped their next four games and lost control of the division. During the losing streak, Cousins threw eight interceptions and no touchdowns.

Cousins had a chance to change the narrative on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the poor play continued. He finally threw a touchdown pass, but he only threw for 112 yards − just 28 in the second half − and an interception in a game where the offense looked largely problematic.

After the 15-9 win, Morris told reporters Cousins "got to play better." When Morris spoke with the media on Tuesday, he was noncommittal on Cousins keeping the starting job before announcing the switch on Tuesday night.

"We just got back (from Las Vegas)," he said, per The Athletic's Josh Kendall. "We still have to go through that process. All those things will happen over the course of the week. We didn’t play well enough at the quarterback position."

The future now looks uncertain for the quarterback Atlanta signed this past offseason to a four-year, $180 million contract, which had a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed. If Atlanta released Cousins, it would eat a dead cap hit of $65 million, per Over The Cap, and he's also due a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 if he's on roster through March 17. A trade would require another team willing to take on the contract, or Atlanta offering to pay for some of it.

Now, the quarterback drafted No. 8 overall in this year's draft will get the chance to make his case to keep the job as Atlanta continues to challenge for the division title. The former Washington Huskies star that led the NCAA in passing yards in 2023 has played in just two games this season, in relief of Cousins in blowout losses. He is 3-for-5 with 38 yards.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirk Cousins benched, Falcons going with Michael Penix 'moving forward'