The Atlanta Falcons’ decision to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency was mostly praised around the NFL. After all, the team has been on the brink of a playoff berth for three years but poor play at the quarterback position has kept Atlanta from breaking through.

Cousins, 35, was brought in to finally get the Falcons over the hump after spending the past six seasons in Minnesota. The Vikings attempted to re-sign Cousins, but Atlanta offered more guaranteed money and better long-term job security. However, it turns out that the job security part may have been a mirage. The Falcons surprised Cousins, along with the rest of the NFL, when they drafted Washington quarterback Michael Penix with the No. 8 pick.

The story gets even more interesting after a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer came out on Monday. According to Breer, Cousins’ decision to leave Minnesota was based partly on the Vikings’ plans to select a quarterback early in the draft:

Here’s why—a reason he decided to leave Minnesota is because the Vikings were very up front with the 35-year-old about the possibility that, even in the case he stayed, they’d take a quarterback of the future high in the draft. Tying that together with the team’s willingness to guarantee part, but not all, of a second year on another contract, Cousins figured that, if he stayed, there was a good shot that he’d be on the move in 2025. — Albert Breer, SI

So it turns out Cousins may have left the Vikings to avoid being in the exact situation he now finds himself in with the Falcons. It’s easy to see why Cousins might feel blindsided by the decision to select Penix, but you can’t blame Atlanta for prioritizing the future of the franchise over the feelings of one player.