Former Packers exec perfectly explains why Falcons missed the point of QB strategy

For Atlanta Falcons fans who are upset about the team spending the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. despite signing four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract earlier this offseason, please direct your frustration with the bold NFL Draft strategy toward the Green Bay Packers.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris referenced the well-known "Green Bay model" in a recent press conference when discussing the selection of Penix, also known as drafting your future quarterback while your current franchise signal-caller is still playing at a high level and under contract. It has worked beautifully for the Packers, allowing them to seamlessly transition to their successor without a dropoff or drawn-out rebuilding process. 

The Packers have been incredibly fortunate to go from Hall of Famer Brett Favre to four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers before turning promising young gunslinger Jordan Love, inspiring teams like the Falcons to take a similar approach. But former Green Bay executive Andrew Brandt explained how Atlanta took the technique to the extreme with Penix.

Former Packers exec perfectly describes where Falcons went wrong in QB strategy

Brandt, the Vice President of the Packers from 1999-2008, appeared on the Ross Tucker Podcast and said that what the Falcons did "is not the Packer way at all," citing draft pedigree and tenure as two main differences while using his experiences in Green Bay to encapsulates where Atlanta went wrong.

"Love and Rodgers were drafted in the 20s, late in the first round -- Penix No. 8," Brandt said. "Favre and Rodgers, when their understudies were drafted, had been on the Packers for 17 years. Kirk Cousins has been on the Falcons for a minute. He's never played a snap for the Falcons," he adds.

Lastly, Brandt highlighted a concern of the "Packer way" that doesn't get discussed often -- how it makes the predecessor feel knowing their replacement is already in the building.

"I managed this for three years with Brett [Favre] and Aaron [Rodgers]... Kirk Cousins is now going into work every day, and going to that quarterback room, and sitting right next to his replacement (Penix)," Brandt stated. 

Cousins is now in the unenviable situation of having to look over his shoulder with his heir apparent lurking in the shadows as he waits for his opportunity. However, the Falcons have given the veteran 180 million reasons to overlook the matter and focus on his game.