{"id":2231130,"date":"2024-04-26T16:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T20:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/falcons-gm-breaks-down-decision-to-draft-michael-penix-jr-you-dont-pass-up-that-opportunity\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T16:28:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T20:28:19","slug":"falcons-gm-breaks-down-decision-to-draft-michael-penix-jr-you-dont-pass-up-that-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/falcons-gm-breaks-down-decision-to-draft-michael-penix-jr-you-dont-pass-up-that-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Falcons GM explains drafting Michael Penix Jr.: &#8220;Can&#8217;t Miss Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffalcons-gm-breaks-down-decision-to-draft-michael-penix-jr-you-dont-pass-up-that-opportunity%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2231130&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Atlanta Falcons&#8217; GM surprised many by \u2064drafting Michael\u200b Penix Jr. in the top 10 of the NFL draft shortly after signing Kirk Cousins. This decision sparked curiosity \u200camong fans and\u200d observers, particularly due to Cousins&#8217; recent major\u200b contract. Penix&#8217;s \u2064selection raised questions about the team&#8217;s strategic vision and its impact on the quarterback lineup. The Atlanta Falcons&#8217; GM&#8217;s choice \u200dto draft Michael Penix Jr. in the top 10 of the NFL draft, following Kirk Cousins&#8217; recent signing, has intrigued fans \u2064and experts. \u2063This move\u2064 has\u200b stirred speculation regarding the team&#8217;s future plans and the \u200bimplications for their quarterback roster.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sports\/\">  Sports <\/a>    <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/johnathanjones\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/johnathanjones\/%20\"><span>Johnathan Jones<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   April 26, 2024 at 10:55am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">general manager<\/a> of the Atlanta Falcons explained his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/falcons-torched-picking-michael-penix-jr-2024-draft-leave-kirk-cousins-shocked-disappointed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">head-scratching decision<\/a> to draft a quarterback in the top 10 of the NFL draft Thursday night just weeks after the team signed league veteran Kirk Cousins to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/failure-is-an-option\/\" title=\"Failure Is an Option\">major contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Causal observers and fans of the franchise alike were shocked when the team selected former University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">With the 8th pick in the 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL?\">@NFL<\/a> Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Michael Penix Jr.!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NFLDraft<\/a>: NFLN, ABC, ESPN <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/o99tXbilG5\">pic.twitter.com\/o99tXbilG5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AtlantaFalcons\/status\/1783666590908604707?\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The 23-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/michigan-player-makes-classy-move-heartbroken-washington-qb-walks-off-field\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heisman finalist<\/a> took the Huskies to the national title game in January but came up short against Michigan.<\/p>\n<p>Despite his talent, it was believed Atlanta had locked down the quarterback position in March when Kirk Cousins was lured away from Minnesota and given a four-year, $180 million contract.<\/p>\n<p>The selection of Penix caught Cousins by surprise as well, according to his agent.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">From Kirk Cousins\u2019 agent Mike McCartney on the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Falcons?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Falcons<\/a>\u2019 selecting QB Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XpIpOQn1ua\">pic.twitter.com\/XpIpOQn1ua<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeGarafolo\/status\/1783698005197250581?\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Was this pick was the right choice?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-enraged-falcons-hc-arthur-smith-cusses-saints-coach-31-point-slaughter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Falcons<\/a> general manager Terry Fontenot said Thursday night he understood the confusion behind using an early draft pick on a quarterback who will be 24 when the season starts to back up a veteran the team just locked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you can add a high-caliber player like that with his intangibles, those tools \u2014 he\u2019s a winner,\u201d Fontenot told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery, very excited,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t pass up that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fontenot also addressed the elephant in the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKirk Cousins is our quarterback,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re very excited about Kirk, we\u2019re very excited about this team. And Michael Penix is, we\u2019re talking about the future. The draft is \u2014 you look at the future and you look at the big picture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we\u2019re very excited about that quarterback room. And again, Kirk is our quarterback, but adding Michael Penix is thinking about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kW4QcHa7mF0?si=E7J5p0V056jzMJ6g&#038;start=75\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Fontenot added he wants to build <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-trump-walks-atlanta-chick-fil-gets-heros-welcome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Atlanta<\/a> into a \u201csustained winner\u201d and believes Penix will be a big part of that.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/two-weeks-devastating-injury-christian-nfl-star-kirk-cousins-serves-meals-need-crutches\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cousins\u2019<\/a> agent, Mike McCartney, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/40026310\/falcons-surprise-select-qb-michael-penix-jr-no-8-pick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ESPN<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cam-newton-released-by-patriots-rookie-qb-mac-jones-to-start\/\" title=\"Cam Newton Released By Patriots, Rookie QB Mac Jones To Start\">veteran quarterback<\/a> was caught off guard that his successor was drafted and that he was only informed of the pick while the team was on the clock Thursday night.<\/p>\n<p>Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said he would not divulge Cousins\u2019 reaction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe got called on the clock, obviously because of the sensitive time with the issues of what you got going on,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Falcons?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Falcons<\/a> GM Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris on Kirk Cousins\u2019 reaction to their Round 1 stunner: drafting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall. (\ud83c\udfa5 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AtlantaFalcons?\">@AtlantaFalcons<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tSDXacAd4z\">pic.twitter.com\/tSDXacAd4z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomPelissero\/status\/1783811165392384439?\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s never a right time to talk to a quarterback about those things,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/olympian-fears-jail-after-negligence-comment-about-belarusian-staff-not-safe-for-me\/\" title=\"Olympian Fears Jail After \u2018Negligence\u2019 Comment About Belarusian Staff: \u2018Not Safe For Me\u2019\">coach added<\/a>. \u201cAnd reactions are always going to be private when it comes to those things, unless Kirk decides to tell you some of those things that are whatever they may be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bill-belichick-turned-coaching-job-rejected-nfl-teams-offer-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Morris<\/a> said Cousins, who has yet to play a snap for the Falcons, is a \u201ccompetitor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Penix told ESPN he was surprised at being drafted by a team with a veteran quarterback on a new contract but he hoped to learn from the four-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s played a lot of football,\u201d the former Washington star said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m going to come in and I\u2019m going to learn. I\u2019m going to learn from him.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Meet <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/themikepenix?\">@themikepenix<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/99xrnI4ITe\">pic.twitter.com\/99xrnI4ITe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AtlantaFalcons\/status\/1783689271003472029?\">April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>If Cousins remains healthy and starts for Atlanta for the entirety of his contract, Penix will be 28 by the time he\u2019s given the keys to the team.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>\u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d Those 12 words have been stuck in my head since I first read them. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn recently made that comment to Floyd Brown, founder of The Western Journal. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>And if the leftists and the elites get their way, that\u2019s exactly what will happen \u2014 no real election, no real choice for the Electoral College, and no real say for the American people. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal is fighting to keep that from happening, but we can\u2019t do it alone.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We work tirelessly to expose the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-rep-anna-paulina-luna-scolds-dems-waving-ukrainian-flags-after-vote-put-those-damn-flags-away\/\" title=\"Video: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Criticizes Democrats Waving Ukrainian Flags - 'Remove Those Flags!\">lying leftist media<\/a> and the corrupt America-hating elites.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech\u2019s stranglehold is now so tight that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without help<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  from you, we will not be able to continue the fight. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The 2024 election is literally the most important election for every living American. We have to unite and fight for our country, otherwise we will lose it. And if we lose the America we love in 2024, we\u2019ll lose it for good. Can we <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>count on you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to help? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>With you we will be able to field journalists, do more investigative work, expose more corruption, and get desperately needed truth to millions of Americans. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We can do this only with your help. Please don\u2019t wait one minute.<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>  Donate right now<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Thank you for reading,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=BM6XAWRJ8NS7A&#038;utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  today.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44767\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/johnathanjones\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44767\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44767\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44767\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44767\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Johnathan Jones has worked as a reporter, an editor, and producer in radio, television and digital media.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Johnathan &#8220;Kipp&#8221; Jones has worked as an editor and producer in radio and television. He is a proud husband and father. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Atlanta Falcons&#8217; GM clarified the surprising move of drafting a quarterback in the top 10 of the NFL draft shortly after signing Kirk Cousins. This decision sparked curiosity among casual observers and fans, raising questions about the team&#8217;s strategic direction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2006,"featured_media":2231131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Cousins-Fontenot-Penix.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2231130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Cousins-Fontenot-Penix.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2006"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2231131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}