Michael Penix Jr.

Three days after the shocking draft pick crashed into other NFL franchise war rooms like a wrecking ball coming through an adjacent wall, the Atlanta Falcons’ rationale for selecting Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall has been cemented.

The question now is what it means for the remainder of Kirk Cousins’ career.

Publicly and privately, the Falcons’ messaging surrounding their selection of Penix less than two months after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal are some version of this: Penix has a rare talent that Atlanta believes it will need sooner or later, so the franchise took him while it still had the chance. And the most important part of that decision: Team owner Arthur Blank signed off on it. This is what multiple sources with knowledge of the decision told Yahoo Sports, including those aligned with the Falcons, Penix and Cousins, whose career has now seemingly been locked into a countdown in Atlanta.

Gone is the notion that Blank was somehow in the dark when it came to the Falcons’ plans to target Penix, which became a point of vague speculation after general manager Terry Fontenot was captured on Atlanta’s war room video feed having an animated discussion with the club owner following the pick.