While he was with the Atlanta Falcons, the belief is that Kirk Cousins was not the best mentor to Michael Penix Jr. because of how the front office blindsided him. But now that he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, he can learn from his mistakes working with 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
Penix is likely better off with Tua Tagovailoa as his mentor/competition in Atlanta while Cousins is in a better spot with the Raiders. It just fits better. Las Vegas' two signal-callers have already built a strong rapport, but there's no need for him to be jealous even though he clearly has respect for Kirko Chainz.
Because of their overlapping time in the Pac-12, Penix got to know Mendoza pretty well over time. So while addressing the media after Falcons' OTA's earlier this week, Penix was asked what the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is getting in having Cousins as his mentor--and his answer did not disappoint.
"[Mendoza is] going to get a great guy," Penix said. "Before the football player, you look at Kirk as a man, as a husband, as a father, he's always been great and the way that he does anything is how he does everything. So, it's like the person that he was for me, just helping me make sure I was locked in each and every day, make sure I understood some of the reads and some of the things that you would get in the league."
Michael Penix Jr. thinks Fernando Mendoza has the perfect mentor in Kirk Cousins
Who had the third-year QB heaping praise upon the guy whose job he stole on their 2026 bingo card? It goes to show you that the 26-year-old is a true professional, as he very well could have thrown Cousins under the bus, but since he never did so to Raheem Morris or Zac Robinson, he decided to hold back a bit and not dunk on his competition, even if Falcons fans may feel differently.
The whole situation with Penix definitely knocked Cousins' ego down a peg, as he didn't even last a full season as the starter on the four-year, $180 million deal he signed with the Falcons in the spring of 2024. And this new, humble self is comfortable regardless of whether he starts or not at this point even though he still thinks he has quality football left in the tank.
The core difference is that when the 38-year-old signed with the Dirty Birds, he was fully expecting to start. He signed with the Raiders knowing they would draft Mendoza and he probably wouldn't get much of a chance to see the field other than the slight chance of a couple games at the start of 2026.
The four-time Pro Bowler is expected to start the first few games of 2026 until Klint Kubiak deems Mendoza ready. And he's played for Kubiak before, so as a solid bridge starter whose playing with a strong supporting cast in Vegas, part of his job description will be mentoring his eventual successor.
Both Cousins and Mendoza are incredibly similar from a personality standpoint: they're both these nerdy, kind of awkward, high-IQ passers, so they'll jive much better than he did with the Washington product. And Tua will help kick MPJ's career into second gear as he nears a return from his ACL tear.
It's hard to blame Penix for wanting to bury the hatchet, because it seems like everything worked out for everyone with this breakup--even if the wound has yet to heal for fans who will never forgive Cousins.
Add us as a preferred source on Google