No, Kirk Cousins benching doesn't actually vindicate the Falcons' disastrous offseason

Many questioned the Atlanta Falcons' decision to spend a top-10 selection on rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. roughly a month after signing Kirk Cousins. But given the latter's recent benching, the team ostensibly hedged their bet properly, right?

Wrong.

Spinning the Falcons essentially paying Cousins $90 million for a partial season of mediocre play into a positive because of Penix is malpractice. It feels like the Atlanta faithful is trying to cope with the organization's horrific offseason approach after seeing the latter named the starter.

No, Kirk Cousins benching doesn't actually vindicate the Falcons' disastrous offseason

Sure, the Falcons arguably saved themselves from themselves by picking Penix shortly after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal. But they could've also avoided this scenario entirely by avoiding the veteran signal-caller in the first place. Not to mention, Atlanta would've been able to allocate their financial resources and address other areas of need, like defensive personnel. Suddenly, they have an albatross contract on their hands and holes across across the roster.

Cousins notably also has a no-trade clause, further complicating matters. And as The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov points out, the four-time Pro Bowler owes the Falcons zilch. Atlanta caught him off guard with Penix's arrival before the eventual demotion. Why would he go out of his way to help them after everything that's transpired?

Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. But in retrospect, the Falcons gave a then-35-year-old passer $90 million in guaranteed money -- a handful of months after he tore his Achilles. How did they expect that to work out? Based on Penix entering the picture not long after, Atlanta's faith in the former to regain pre-injury form wasn't high.

Regardless of what was, Cousins' struggles have expedited Atlanta's plans to have Penix develop in a backup capacity. Suddenly, the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up will be thrown into the fire with the Falcons in the thick of the playoff hunt.

Moreover, on that topic, Penix was widely considered the most "pro-ready" quarterback prospect of his class. With that in mind, why did the Falcons choose the 24-year-old if they intended to redshirt him behind Cousins?