Kirk Cousins Told Falcons HC He'd Be the Best NFL Backup After Benching for Penix Jr.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins immediately warmed to his new role after head coach Raheem Morris named rookie Michael Penix Jr. as the team's starter.

Morris told The MMQB's Albert Breer that Cousins reached out to say he was focused on "being the best backup in the National Football League."

"For those guys to be able to go out there and work together, even through [Cousins's] tough time this week, I thought it was outstanding," Morris said. "All the way up until right before the game praying together."

The Athletic's Josh Kendall captured that brief moment, which ended with Cousins patting Penix on the back as they ran out of the tunnel:

Penix proceeded to go 18-of-27 for 202 yards and one interception in Atlanta's 34-7 win over the New York Giants. While it wasn't a perfect performance, the first-year signal-caller did little to justify going back to Cousins.

That leaves the four-time Pro Bowler in an unenviable position. He's left to finish out the year as the backup, and ESPN's Adam Schefter already reported the Falcons are expected to cut him before March 17, the day he collects a $10 million roster bonus.

But Cousins also probably knows these next few weeks are his time to audition for teams in need of a quarterback this offseason. The Cleveland Browns have quickly emerged as one logical landing spot with Deshaun Watson recovering from an Achilles rupture and no longer looking like a franchise quarterback.

General managers and head coaches around the league are likely to look favorably upon the way Cousins has handled his demotion.