There will be a new quarterback in Atlanta.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced rookie Michael Penix Jr. will be the starter for the team’s upcoming game against the New York Giants, with Kirk Cousins headed to the bench.

“After review we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward,” Morris said in a statement. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”

The moves comes after a decline in Cousins’ play in recent weeks, particularly when it comes to turning the ball over. After Cousins guided Atlanta to a 6-3 start and an early lead in the NFC South, the Falcons dropped their next four games and lost control of the division. During the losing streak, Cousins threw eight interceptions and no touchdowns.

Cousins had a chance to change the narrative on Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the poor play continued. He finally threw a touchdown pass, but he only threw for 112 yards − just 28 in the second half − and an interception in a game where the offense looked largely problematic.

After the 15-9 win, Morris told reporters Cousins “got to play better.” When Morris spoke with the media on Tuesday, he was noncommittal on Cousins keeping the starting job before announcing the switch on Tuesday night.

“We just got back (from Las Vegas),” he said, per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. “We still have to go through that process. All those things will happen over the course of the week. We didn’t play well enough at the quarterback position.”

The future now looks uncertain for the quarterback Atlanta signed this past offseason to a four-year, $180 million contract, which had a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed. If Atlanta released Cousins, it would eat a dead cap hit of $65 million, per Over The Cap, and he’s also due a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 if he’s on roster through March 17. A trade would require another team willing to take on the contract, or Atlanta offering to pay for some of it.

Now, the quarterback drafted No. 8 overall in this year’s draft will get the chance to make his case to keep the job as Atlanta continues to challenge for the division title. The former Washington Huskies star that led the NCAA in passing yards in 2023 has played in just two games this season, in relief of Cousins in blowout losses. He is 3-for-5 with 38 yards.

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LAS VEGAS — If the Atlanta Falcons are going to make a playoff push, coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Kirk Cousins both know the 13-year veteran needs to improve his performance over the last three games of the season.

“He’s got to play better,” Morris said after the Falcons escaped Monday night with a 15-9 road win over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders. “Obviously, you’ve got to go back and look at everything. But he wants to play better, he’s got to play better, we’ve got to find a way to get him to play better.”

Cousins was a lackluster 11-of-17 passing for 112 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He entered with no touchdown passes and eight interceptions over his previous four starts.

In 159 career starts, it was Cousins’ third-fewest number of completions and fourth-lowest total in passing yards.

“I think I need to play better. I don’t think that’s a mystery,” said Cousins, who leads the NFL with a career-high 16 interceptions. “I think the last few weeks, I would say I need to play better. Raheem says it, but it’s stating the obvious.

“Every week you kind of go through your process and you plan to go out there and play the very best you can, and so this week will be no different.”

When asked where his biggest area of improvement lies, Cousins was forthright in saying he has to do a better job of protecting the football.

“I think it’s always just decision-making so that you’re not putting the ball in harm’s way and not trying to be too aggressive,” said Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract before the season. “I think really the key, you know, protecting the football.”

Before his four-week drought, Cousins never endured consecutive weeks without a touchdown pass.

Now, with Atlanta sitting one game back of the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South, the pressure is mounting — with rookie Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings to potentially spark the offense.

“We’ve got everybody on our roster for a reason, right?” Morris said, with team owner Arthur Blank sitting in the room. “We’ve got so much to get better at, and those things will always be discussed. That’s just the nature of the beast in football.

“It’s just so heavily talked about at the quarterback position, because there’s only one guy out there. So like for us, man, our mentality is to find a way to win the next game. That’s just the mentality that I’m going to have.”