The Falcons top priority this offseason is finding a new home for Kirk Cousins to alleviate some of the money they will owe him next season. It’s not a guarantee they will find a suitor, with top NFL insider Adam Schefter recently doubling down on his stance that the Falcons will ultimately be forced to release the veteran quarterback.
“This is a situation that looks an awful lot like what Denver and Russell Wilson went through last offseason before Denver decided ultimately to move on from him, when it said it wouldn’t necessarily do that,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said. “They released him, he wound up signing a one-year deal with a low salary in Pittsburgh, and that’s how I think people across the league believe this situation will unfold with the Falcons releasing Cousins right around the start of the new league year.”
It’s very possible no team is willing to play ball with the Falcons, but if Terry Fontenot sticks to his guns and shows he’s serious about keeping Kirk Cousins around as a backup, there are a handful of teams that could be interested in Cousins as a stopgap option. The Cleveland Browns have been mentioned by several NFL insiders, and most recently, Rich Cimini brought up the Jets as a possibility after it was reported New York is likely to part ways with Aaron Rodgers.
“Kirk Cousins could shake free from the Atlanta Falcons, who have committed to Michael Penix Jr. after the making the switch last season. Cousins is an interesting possibility because his former Vikings GM, Rick Spielman, is now the Jets’ senior football adviser. He’d be cost-effective. The Falcons are on the hook for his $27.5 million base salary (guaranteed), so the Jets would have to pay only the veterans minimum, roughly $1.2 million.”
The connections between the Jets’ brass and Kirk Cousins are intriguing, but does New York really think moving off a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers for a 37-year-old Kirk Cousins is the right course of action? Seems like a lateral move at best.
About the only reason the Jets might consider this is because they’re simply tired of the antics and circus that come with keeping Rodgers on the roster. Cousins is a much more low-key personality and a consummate professional, which could go a long way in rebuilding the Jets culture, something that should be the top priority for Aaron Glenn in his first season as a head coach.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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