What will the Falcons do with Kirk Cousins? That’s the question of the offseason in Atlanta.
There have been plenty of reports that state the Falcons will eventually cut ties with the veteran quarterback. But the Falcons have remained firm in their stance that they’ll keep Cousins.
“No, it hasn’t changed,” Fontenot said about the possibility of keeping Cousins on the roster next season. “Just like with any player at any position, or any decision we make, we always have to look at all the circumstances and do what’s absolute best for the Atlanta Falcons, but at this point, that hasn’t changed.”
Apparently, nobody around the league is buying that. The Athletic’s beat writer for the Falcons, Josh Kendall, reported the word around the NFL Combine was that the Falcons are bluffing.
“General manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris continued to push the narrative that they’d be pleased as punch to have Kirk Cousins back next season as the backup to quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but the league isn’t buying it. During my first four days in Indianapolis, every single person I talked to about Cousins scoffed at the idea,” Kendall wrote.
Obviously, the most ideal scenario would be for the Falcons and Kirk Cousins to find a trade for the veteran, but that doesn’t even seem like a possibility. Cousins has a no-trade clause, and there’s no incentive for an acquiring team to part ways with draft picks when they can just wait to sign him for a veteran minimum deal after the Falcons release him.
But if the Falcons dig their heels in and take Cousins’ March 17th $10 million roster bonus on the chin, perhaps there will be more of a market for the veteran quarterback later in the offseason. At least, that’s what former Falcons beat writer and current NFL pundit Steve Wyche believes.
https://twitter.com/DukesandBell929/status/1897398243467866207
If the Falcons cut Kirk Cousins with a post-June 1 designation, the dead money would spread over the 2025 and 2026 seasons — $40 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026.
If the Falcons traded Cousins, they would be on the hook for the $37.5 million of remaining proration, while his fully guaranteed $27.5 million of base salary would transfer to his new team. However, they might have to eat some of that $27.5 million in the deal.
Only time will tell, but this report from Wyche is a very positive development.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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