Arthur Blank: Kirk Cousins is Falcons' 'franchise' QB, Michael Penix 'extraordinary talent'

The Atlanta Falcons had quite possibly the boldest offseason in the NFL, signing quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal ($100 million guaranteed) and also drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Team owner Arthur Blank made the case for why the Falcons, whom he labeled "independent thinkers," were wise to allocate substantial resources to a pair of quarterbacks.

"We made it clear to Kirk and others that we probably were going to draft a quarterback during this draft. As it turned out, Michael Penix, for our coaching staff and our personnel department, graded extraordinarily high. They viewed him as a tremendous player," Blank told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. "We've been through a situation, post-Matt Ryan, when we're seeing that movie when we didn't have a franchise quarterback. We didn't want to repeat that again. I mean, I certainly didn't. I'm super sensitive to all forms of succession planning. After 60-odd years of business, in any business, that's critical. At the key position, the quarterback position in the NFL, that's very important. 

"So, just listening to our coaching staff and our personnel department, they really made the decision. Michael was going to be available at number eight. They saw an extraordinary talent. Kirk Cousins is our franchise quarterback, is our starting quarterback, and he seems to be doing great from a medical standpoint."

Cousins, who will be 36 at the start of the 2024 season, had his 2023 campaign cut short after eight games due to a torn Achilles. He spent the previous six seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, which was preceded by six seasons in Washington,