The Falcons' choice of Michael Penix Jr has put Morris and GM Terry Fontenot into the spotlight
One NFL head coach is comparing himself and his general manager to the league’s power couple: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.
Atlanta Falcons first-year head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenont are the talk of the NFL Draft, as the selection of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. continues to dominate football discussion.
Veteran signal caller Kirk Cousins was signed to a four-year contract with the first two years guaranteed, but Falcons brass decided to go with Penix — a pick for the future — instead of bringing in someone in the first round to help immediately in 2024.
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Atlanta Falcons first round draft choice quarterback Michael Penix Jr., holds a Falcons jersey during a news conference Friday, April 26, 2024, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Many scratched their heads when they saw commissioner Roger Goodell call out Penix’s name at No. 8 overall, but Morris and Fontenot were on the same page.
"I hate for it to be the story of the draft, but I know it will be," Morris told reporters. "That’s just how our world is based and is driven. But I can’t say it’s annoying, no, because it’s what people want to see. It’s piqued more interest."
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It’s because of this wide interest into the pick that Morris decided to compare his current popularity in news headlines and social media threads to Kelce and Swift.
"What’s [Travis] Kelce’s girlfriend’s name? I’m Taylor Swift and Terry is Kelce. We’re making this thing popular," he said.
Kelce says feeling the support from Swift has been an "amazing experience." (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Of course, there is a key difference between Kelce and Swift’s popularity compared to Morris and Fontenot. The football star and pop icon are massive celebrities that make for one of the most intriguing couples in the entire world, and their popularity comes from their extreme success.
Meanwhile, Morris and Fontenot have gained notoriety because the pick of Penix has baffled many. Even Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, admitted he and his quarterback client were surprised.
"We had no idea this was coming," he told the NFL Network in a statement. "The truth is the whole league had no idea this was coming. We got no heads up. Kirk got a call from the Falcons when they were on the clock. That was the first we heard. It never came up in any conversation."
Now, what the Falcons decide to do with their picks and subsequent NFL future is entirely up to them. But it was an odd pick considering they dished out $180 million ($100 million guaranteed) to Cousins, who is coming off an Achilles tear, this offseason.
Head coach Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 27, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Either way, the pick is etched in stone and Penix’s NFL career begins by learning under Cousins’ wing.
Whether the pick works out in the end will determine if Morris and Fontenot will truly be as popular as Kelce and Swift
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
