Michael Penix Jr. Says Goal Is to Be an 'Unselfish Teammate' amid Kirk Cousins Rumors

Michael Penix Jr. knows he's going to be a backup for at least his first season in Atlanta, but he seems to be embracing whatever role the Falcons have in store.

"He said, 'My goal is just to be an unselfish teammate. I'm not worried about when I'm playing, if I maximize my potential. All that stuff will get worked out,'" ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter (1:35 mark). " ... This is a player who embraces the spotlight. He said, 'I know it's going to be on me from the beginning. I'm part of the one percent who is in the NFL. I'm going to produce when my time is up.'"

Penix was by far the most surprising pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, with the Falcons taking the Washington product with the No. 8 pick just a month after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.

The move caught everyone by surprise on draft night—particularly Cousins, who was kept in the dark about the selection. Cousins has not met with the media since the draft, but Penix said the veteran reached out to him on draft night to welcome him to the team.

"He did reach out. We had a very good conversation. He reached out last night," Penix said last month. "I'm going to keep it just between me and him right now, but it was definitely a good conversation, and I'm super excited to work with him, and he said he was the same with me."

The Falcons have been adamant that Cousins is their starter and Penix's selection was to shore up the quarterback position for the long term. Cousins is returning from a torn Achilles suffered last October while he was with the Minnesota Vikings.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris told reporters Cousins is "pretty much full-go" for offseason workouts. Still, it's likely Penix will wind up taking some reps with the first team as Cousins ramps up his activity ahead of the regular season.