Atlanta Falcons front office is already putting Kirk Cousins on notice

The Atlanta Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr. has put Kirk Cousins on notice that they don't believe he will be the starting quarterback for his entire contract. Letting a quarterback that is at the end of his career is considerate and shows an understanding of where the player is headed.

However, the last time we saw Kirk Cousins the quarterback was putting up MVP-level numbers. This is why Atlanta was forced to give Cousins such a rich contract despite coming off of a season-ending injury. Atlanta gave Cousins a four-year deal that has a clear out in year-three with a manageable cap hit.

By drafting Micheal Penix Jr. you are telling Cousins that you don't believe he will be a starter for more than two seasons in Atlanta. If that isn't the case are you really planning to start Cousins for three seasons and put in your rookie quarterback in a contract year?

The only sensible plan for drafting Penix Jr. is that you believe he will be a big upgrade over Cousins in year three of the contract. Give the Falcons credit for how they finally added starting quarterbacks.

However, doing it in the style that they have could result in some understandable frustration from their current starter. Adding a first-round replacement before you have ever given your current highly-paid starter a snap is odd. The reasoning is clear but it doesn't make it any more acceptable for Cousins or a roster that still has a myriad of needs going into day two of the draft.

Cousins is going to be under far more pressure now with every rough game or mistake being a cause to bring up his backup. Something you aren't facing with Taylor Heinicke as your backup. Cousins is still this team's starter but a healthy level of frustration should be understandable from the veteran.