Cousins says on Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ he played through arm injury to keep Falcons’ starting job

ATLANTA (AP) – Kirk Cousins said on the Netflix series “Quarterback” that he played through an injury to his right, throwing arm last season in part to keep from losing his starting job with the Atlanta Falcons to rookie backup Michael Penix Jr.

At minicamp last month, Cousins said he realized after last season he wasn’t as healthy as he thought he was at the time, citing an ankle injury that affected his mobility.

In the seventh and final episode of the second season of the Netflix show, which was released Tuesday, he said he made the best decision he could at the time after taking a big hit to his right shoulder and ribcage from New Orleans’ Payton Turner on Nov. 10.

Cousins was seen in an earlier episode telling training staff on the sideline he bruised his elbow “pretty good” but insisted he was all right and never missed time.

“Immediately my elbow lit up, and I knew I irritated something,” Cousins said on the show. “Had shooting pain kind of right through inside my elbow. My shoulder started to really throb, so I knew right away, like OK this is a little more serious. Once I lost my shoulder and my elbow, I didn’t have many other places to lean on to get the power I needed.”

After appearing on just the Week 11 injury report and none beyond that with “right shoulder, right elbow” limiting his participation in one practice, Cousins threw eight interceptions and just one touchdown pass over the next four games, and Atlanta went 1-3 before turning to Penix.

Cousins said on “Quarterback” he did not want to come out because “You also know that if you sit down Week 10 and take two or three weeks or more to let it heal, you may never get your job back” and referenced Drew Brees’ book about Doug Flutie teaching him never to let his backup see the field.

“That was something I always was aware of: that in this league, if you give someone else the chance, if you want to be Wally Pipp and there’s Lou Gehrig behind you, that can happen.”

Also on “Quarterback,” Cousins also said he felt “a little bit misled” by Atlanta signing him in free agency last year, then selecting Penix with the eighth pick in the draft. He said he might have re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings had he known the Falcons would draft a QB in the top 10.

“Certainly, if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would’ve affected my decision,” Cousins said on the first episode of the season. “I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high.”

Cousins, who turns 37 in August, remains on Atlanta’s roster with the beginning of training camp two weeks away. This is set to be his 14th NFL season since being drafted in the fourth round by Washington in 2012.