The NFL is heating up as Week 17 approaches! Kirk Cousins benched, multiple teams swap QBs, Budda Baker gets paid, and the league announces key Saturday matchups.
Falcons Bench Cousins, Turn to Penix
The Kirk Cousins story in Atlanta is coming to an end. Head coach Raheem Morris announced that rookie Michael Penix will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Over the last 5 games, the $180 million dollar contract holder Cousins has thrown 1 touchdown with 9 interceptions. The Falcons are still fighting to win the division, and Atlanta decided it was better to try a cat in the bag than to continue to bet on a player who is very physically limited.
Quarterback Carousel Continues
The parade of quarterbacks sitting on the can doesn't end there. Cleveland will release Dorian Thompson-Robinson in place of Jameis Winston, and Tennessee will release Mason Rudolph in place of Will Levis. As with Cousins, turnovers finished off the head coaches.
Budda Baker Signs Extension with Arizona
Budda Baker agreed to a 3-year, $54 million contract extension with Arizona ($30 million guaranteed). Baker, 28, is one of the team's defensive and locker room leaders.
Derek Carr Out for the Season
After additional tests, it became clear that Saints quarterback Derek Carr will not be seen again this season. As a reminder, he broke his non-throwing arm.
Michael Vick Takes Over at Norfolk State
Michael Vick has taken over the Norfolk State University football team, not Sacramento State, which was discussed in yesterday's digest. Norfolk State is one of the historically black universities in the state of Virginia. Vick grew up not far from it.
Teddy Bridgewater Eyes NFL Coaching Role
Teddy Bridgewater plans to work in the NFL in the near future. The coach, who just won a Florida state title with his home school, expects to get an invitation to one of the teams after the success. Probably to a positional position for now, no more.
NFL Announces Week 17 Schedule Changes
The NFL has announced which Week 17 games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 28. The schedule for the final weeks of the regular season is a flexible thing, but now we know more. So, on Saturday at 21:00 will play the Patriots and Chargers, at 00:30 Cincinnati - Denver, and at 04:15 Rams - Cardinals. They also changed the original schedule for Sunday of the same Week 17 game. Now in prime time (4:20) will play Washington and Atlanta, the match Cleveland - Miami moved to the second wave, and Giants - Indianapolis in the first wave.