When the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney to contracts that sniffed $220 million total, most of the NFL world criticized the organization for the acquisitions.
Cousins was coming off an Achilles injury, and the contract had $100 million guaranteed, while Mooney was coming off back-to-back seasons failing to eclipse 500 yards receiving in Chicago. Through nine games this season, it’s overwhelmingly clear the Falcons invested wisely.
The veteran signal caller ranks fourth in the league in passing yards (2,328), fourth in touchdowns (17), ninth in completion percentage (69.2%), and ninth in passer rating (101.9). Cousins has thrown 17 touchdowns this season, which is as many as Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke threw all of last season.
Speaking of last season, according to Mike Sando of The Athletic, “The Falcons are already 93 percent of the way toward their 2023 full-season total for yardage when targeting wide receivers. They have 1,535 yards passing to wide receivers through Week 9 after having 1,650 all last season, when Ridder started 13 games for them.”
Darnell Mooney has already eclipsed his 2023 and 2022 season totals in receptions and yards through nine games with the Falcons, thanks, in part, to Kirk Cousins. He’s scored more touchdowns with the Falcons than his last two seasons with the Bears combined. Hell, I could make an argument that Mooney is one of the best non-rookie contracts in the league.
The organization has to be thrilled with the early returns on the respective free agent deals, so it’s no surprise that both earned excellent grades from CBS Sports’s Cody Benjamin, who went back to reassess the biggest deals of the offseason. Benjamin gave Cousins an A- and Mooney an A.
For all of the flack that Terry Fontenot gets for his track record in the draft, there has to be an equal amount of praise for his ability to identify talent at the pro personnel level. His best work has come in free agency; even paying sticker price for the marquee free agents has worked out for Atlanta.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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