Kirk Cousins‘ story is not finished until it’s officially finished. He signed a four-year $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, started hot during the initial weeks, took a big hit, lost his job in the 2025 season to the second-year quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., and became the most expensive backup quarterback. However, his story has come full circle.

Penix went down with a knee injury in a 30-27 Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers. That means Cousins will start in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints and is very likely to do so for the rest of the season, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Penix is likely out for the season. Which makes you wonder: What if Cousins struggles to find success as the starter in Penix’s absence?

Well, keeping the ongoing quarterback saga in Atlanta in mind, a Falcons supporter asked the ex-Falcons wide receiver, Mohamed Sanu Sr., if he’s available to line up under the center. Sanu’s response was simple yet filled with a bit of humor.

“Always,” the NFL legend replied.

The reasoning behind Sanu’s response is something only he truly knows. But for now, any idea of him stepping in at quarterback for the Falcons is pretty much off the table. After all, he only announced his retirement a couple of months ago after being out of the league for years, and his playing days are well behind him at this point. Beyond that, Raheem Morris and his staff have already committed to Cousins to lead the offense.

Despite that, the one thing that the Falcons’ fans would demand from the ex-receiver is to coach the team. Just last year, during a conversation through My Cave My Rulez-EssentiallySports Exclusive, Sanu expressed his desire to return to Atlanta…but this time, as a coach, when asked if he had talked to Morris about getting an opportunity on the team’s coaching staff.

“Him (Morris) and I, we have talked about it, and I would have to, you know, do my part in getting some experience,” he said. “Because I know the way that league works, you are not, you not just gonna hire somebody that doesn’t have any staying in the game of being a coach. So I would have to go ahead and get, gain some experience that way. And then, hopefully the opportunity you know arises.”

That said, the Falcons are currently enduring another chapter of the quarterback drama in a season gone horribly wrong. Penix is sidelined, Cousins is gearing up to start, and the situation has gotten messy enough to lead the fans to call on former NFL stars to step in and steady things.

Kirk Cousins and his new chapter with the Falcons

Things have unraveled quickly for the Falcons, and Week 11 kept that trend going. Atlanta went into halftime up 21–7 against the Panthers, only to lose Penix Jr. to a knee injury and watch the game slip away in a 30–27 overtime defeat. It marked their fifth straight loss, and with it, any realistic shot at the playoffs.

Penix will now land on injured reserve and could miss the remainder of the season, which leaves the Falcons with one clear path: Kirk Cousins will take over as the starter for the rest of the year. And at this point, Cousins’ focus is pretty simple: steady the team, help Morris, and try to string together whatever wins they can salvage.

“There’s no magic formula,” the veteran quarterback said. “You just get back to work and trust your training and you got to stay the course, believe that tough times don’t last and tough people do, and that’s all you can do.”

Meanwhile, the head coach has also expressed his confidence in Cousins ahead of the Week 12 matchup against the Saints. “Kirk’s been the guy that’s been able to go out there and start a lot of games in the league,” Morris said. “He started a lot of games for us. He got us [off] to a nice start last year and now we’ve got an opportunity to sit back and watch and really grow and got to get him going this week, go out there and lead the football team.”

After Penix hurt his knee, Cousins stepped in at went 6-of-14 for 48 yards with a 29.9 QBR. There’s no question the Falcons will feel Penix’s absence for the rest of the season, but with him sidelined, the offense now leans heavily on Cousins to keep things afloat.