Falcons were surprise Giants competition for Nathan Rourke after NFL draft drama

There apparently isn’t a quarterback the Falcons aren’t interested in adding to their roster.

Despite already having $180 million man Kirk Cousins and No. 8 pick Michael Penix Jr. under contract, the Falcons placed a wavier claim on on quarterback Nathan Rourke, according to ESPN.

Rourke, a former Canadian Football League star who was released by the Patriots this week, instead landed with the Giants.

Nathan Rourke is a new member of the Giants. Getty Images

There’s certainly nothing wrong with the Falcons attempting to fortify the quarterback position, but Atlanta is certainly taking it to an extreme this year.

And there’s already the drama surrounding its current quarterback room.

After realizing the duo of Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke is not winning you anything, the Falcons decided to revamp the position this offseason.

They first signed former Vikings star Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed.

That guaranteed money would usually mean that the Falcons felt they had their quarterback for the next few years, but Atlanta threw the world a curveball during the draft.

Instead of using the No. 8 pick to help Cousins win in 2024, which most expected, Atlanta instead decided to draft Penix Jr. in hopes of stabilizing the position for many years to come.

While the intentions behind that may seem solid, it created plenty of drama.

Kirk Cousin was guaranteed by $100 million by the Falcons. AP

Cousins felt blindsided by the pick, and it came out this week that one of the reasons he left the Vikings was the franchise telling him it intended to draft a quarterback high in this year’s draft.

Now, the Cousins have a veteran returning from an Achilles tear who knows the franchise has his replacement waiting in the wings.

If Cousins struggles, there will be plenty of “Play Penix” chatter in Atlanta.

Michael Penix Jr. was the No. 8 draft pick. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Rourke would not have been a threat to either Cousins or Penix Jr.’s job security, but he would have provided another young option at the position.

And that could have raised even more talk of the Falcons perhaps being ready to move forward with a Penix Jr.-Rourke combination in the future.

Rourke spent time with the Patriots and Jaguars and joined the Giants after being waived by New England, who drafted its quarterback of the future in Drake Maye.