Raheem Morris is already making another mistake with Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons made a bold decision on Tuesday night, benching star quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. Cousins has been dreadful of late, which is why they only allowed him to throw 17 times in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Falcons gave Cousins $180 million – and $100 million guaranteed – last offseason to be their starting quarterback. At the time, Cousins was the most accomplished passer on the market, but also fresh off a season-ending knee injury.

Cousins had a 1:9 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his past five games. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris made it clear Cousins was benched not due to injury, but poor play. Morris also praised Cousins for handling his benching 'with class'.

“You know, obviously, anytime you take a step down and a demotion of whatever the case may be, it’s not gonna be met with great appreciation, and all those things,” Morris told reporters. “But Kirk was a professional. He’s a pro. He’s a man. He’s a great human. He’s a great father. He’s a great football player. He’s done a lot of great things for us this year. He handled it with class. He’s an absolute professional. I can’t say enough good things about who the man is and how he is and what it is, but obviously it comes with some disappointment when you lose your job.”

Raheem Morris leaves door wide open for Kirk Cousins to start again for Falcons

Good on Morris for not kicking the high-priced quarterback while he's down. As painful as it will be for Cousins to sit on the bench, he'll still make over $60 million this year if you count the $50 million he received at signing. That's not a bad gig.

However, Morris took matters a step further, even extending an olive branch to Cousins.

Uh, excuse me? Penix Jr. is a rookie, and ought to be treated as such – with a long leash. The Falcons are putting their rookie QB in a precarious position, as he has to replace one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL with just three games remaining in a playoff race. The last thing Penix Jr. needs is more pressure, but Morris doesn't seem to care.

Welcome to the show, kid. Cousins is right behind you.