At No. 8 overall, the Atlanta Falcons shocked everyone.

Their fans. The other 31 teams. You at home. Your grandmother who doesn’t care about football. And, without question, Kirk Cousins.

GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., fresh off signing Cousins to his monster contract in March. With a week to digest, we examine this decision in its totality on the Go Long Show. Co-host Jim Monos, our longtime NFL scout, weighs in with his personnel perspective.

A few words Fontenot shared in a sitdown with Go Long proved prescient. The Falcons GM did say there were viable options in both free agency and the draft. After three years of living in no man’s land, they chose to be ultra-, ultra-aggressive on both fronts. Football-wise, there’s logic to follow even with Penix’s age. Of course, the two quarterbacks must now share a locker room. Every day.

If Hard Knocks existed in its original form, the 2024 Falcons sure would be a compelling team to follow.

How does it all play out? We discuss.

Also on the podcast: Howie Roseman’s love of mock drafts, clapping for your own picks on TV, Monos’ take on the Bills’ double trade-down and Xavier Legette takes his hog hunting to Charlotte.

Video and audio is above, and the Go Long Show is also accessible on Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Be sure to rate and review wherever you listen, and we’d love it if you shared the pod with a friend.

Go Long is your home for longform. Paid subscribers can access all features, all columns, all team deep dives.

Thank you for supporting independent journalism.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.golongtd.com/subscribe