Falcons put in 'terrible cap situation' with Michael Penix Jr pick after Kirk Cousins signing: ex-NFL player

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Former NFL defensive back Tank Williams was among those caught off guard when the Atlanta Falcons decided to take quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick of the NFL Draft.

Williams appeared on OutKick’s "Hot Mic" on Monday and agreed that the Falcons’ selection of Penix, along with a ton of guaranteed money owed to newly signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, puts the team’s salary cap into dire straits.

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Kirk Cousins (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images/File)

"When it first went down, that was my initial impression," Williams said. "If you want to build a winner in the NFL, we’ve already seen what the model is. You lock in a young quarterback who punches above his weight early on in his career, and that allows you to put so many pieces around him because you’re in a better cap situation. We’ve seen it with the Houston Texans. We’ve seen it with so many other teams."

Williams said he doesn't understand how Atlanta could sign Cousins to a deal worth up to $180 million and then select Penix. 

The former Washington standout will likely sign a four-year deal worth $22.8 million with a fifth-year team option and a $13.4 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac.

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Michael Penix (Michael Hickey/Getty Images/File)

"So, if you knew Michael Penix was going to be your guy, why would you go ahead and guarantee Kirk Cousins over $100 million and then go and draft this guy top 10."

"So, one, you put yourself into a terrible cap situation moving forward. You don’t notify Kirk Cousins what your attentions