Even if they say they’re comfortable keeping Kirk Cousins as a backup quarterback, the Falcons want to get rid of the veteran, and Cousins wants out of Atlanta. Both sides want the same thing.
There are obviously a few roadblocks. The team isn’t going to just simply release Cousins, or they would’ve done so before his $10 million roster bonus became fully guaranteed over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. On the flip side of things, the Falcons can’t just trade Cousins. It takes two to tango.
A clear scenario is emerging with both sides getting what they want, and Albert Breer painted the ideal scenario for the most amicable breakup.
“That’s why I still believe the ideal scenario here is for the Steelers or Giants or Cleveland Browns to feel some desperation—be it from the result of the Rodgers sweepstakes or the reality that the Tennessee Titans may just sit tight and take Cam Ward with the first pick—and give the Falcons the chance to “buy” a draft pick by paying down some of Cousins’s 2025 money and flipping Atlanta a pick,” Breer wrote.
As of right now, there are a handful of quarterback-needy teams out there. The Browns, Steelers, Giants, and Titans could potentially come out of free agency and the NFL Draft as dance partners with the Falcons.
Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson will take two of them off the board. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders will likely take two, but it’s not a guarantee that either starts Week 1. If you’re counting at home, that’s four quarterback-needy teams with four potential solutions, which means there’s a scenario where nobody needs Kirk Cousins.
Obviously, that’s not great news for the Falcons, but they were willing to bet that someone comes out of free agency and/or the draft without a solution for Week 1.That’s the ideal scenario for Atlanta.
How likely is that? I’m not sure, but there have never been 32 starting-caliber signal callers in this league.
—
Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.