Should Terry Fontenot Be Fired For Egregious Michael Penix Jr. Pick?
There have been some hilariously bad picks in NFL Draft history, and some might think this is recency bias, but the Atlanta Falcons turning the card in for Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick might be the worst pick in NFL history. There are so many things wrong with this pick, and we will go over all of them, but the question must be asked: Should Arthur Blank fire Terry Fontenot for this? If my GM did with how the off-season turned out, I might’ve fired him on the spot.
Let’s start with the obvious. This franchise just gave Kirk Cousins a bag and a half this off-season. But Terry Fontenot is so out of touch that he went out and decided to go ahead and draft his replacement. What do the optics look like on this? Well, Cousins was reportedly stunned by this news, so you can only imagine the lack of faith he now has in this front office. Way to go, you just pissed off your franchise quarterback before he even takes a snap for your team.
Reason No. 2 why the Michael Penix Jr. pick was awful and why Terry Fontenot should be fired is the player they picked in general. Fine, let’s entertain the argument of drafting the future QB to replace Cousins. Let’s maybe draft someone who is barely old enough to drink in the United States in J.J. McCarthy instead of a 23-year-old, injury-riddled Penix? How on earth is the choice Penix over McCarthy? McCarthy needs to sit for a year anyway, now you can let him sit for 2-3 years like Green Bay did with Jordan Love. Penix might be 28-years-old before he sees the field. This brings me to my next point.
This contract. I’m not sure if this was considered or not, but Fontenot and the Falcons would potentially have to accept the fifth-year option on Penix before he even becomes the starter. So the plan is to pay Penix a boatload of money, for one year, in hopes that he works out. If he doesn’t, he then becomes a free agent and you are left with no starting QB on your roster. Great plan.
Lastly, this is a team that could have made a run at the division this season. The NFC South is weak with a capital W. With Arthur Smith gone and Raheem Morris in, and some of the signings this off-season, all they were missing was some help on defense and this team could have been a playoff team. Instead, they punt on the pick and take someone who won’t see the field for at least three years. Good luck explaining that one to fans.
Terry Fontenot should be fired for this. There are no two ways about it. This is the worst draft pick in NFL history and something as terrible as this should not go unpunished. Fontenot could have gone Dallas Turner, arguably their biggest need, and said who needs to fill needs. Atlanta is going to be the laughing stock this weekend and likely leading into the 2024 NFL Season, and that falls on Fontenot. I’m not totally sure how you recover from this, but I can’t wait to watch him try.
