While speculation surrounding Kirk Cousins’ place in Atlanta runs rampant, the argument pertains to the Falcons starter for the rest of the 2024 campaign, not his future in the organization.
Fans and analysts debate whether Raheem Morris should bench the veteran in favor of the rookie, but most already assume the Falcons will move on this offseason, despite the financial ramifications. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes Cousins’ Week 14 performance sealed his fate.
In November, Cousins diced up the Cowboys and Buccaneers, going a combined 42-of-53 for 498 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Then, he followed it up with the worst four-game stretch of his career, in which he completed 62.7% of his passes for 267 yards per game while throwing no touchdowns and eight interceptions to go along with four fumbles. Worst of all, he’s been dreadful in the red zone.
“Unsurprisingly, for a quarterback with zero touchdown passes over the past month, Cousins has been awful in the red zone: He’s 4-of-16 for 21 yards with a pick and a league-worst 3.3 QBR.”
In Barnwell’s estimation, it’s more than just the numbers.
“With the numbers saying what they say, I’d argue Cousins certainly doesn’t look like he’s even the player we saw earlier this season. There’s little zip on his passes, so while he can throw deep, they’re more lobs and rainbows than driven passes with real torque. He doesn’t necessarily need to be that guy to succeed, but in tighter quarters near the red zone, perhaps it isn’t a surprise that his throws don’t have the zip to get where they need to go.”
I’m not sure benching Kirk Cousins would be in the best interest of the Falcons short-term goal, which is to make the playoffs. It might be in the best interest of the team’s long-term goals, but to act like it’s just ripping off a band-aid is asinine. It’s very complicated, especially financially, as Barnwell notes.
“The Falcons also have a vested interest in wanting to prove that Cousins is still an NFL-caliber quarterback: They need to trade him this offseason. In addition to paying him $62.5 million this season, they are on the hook for a $27.5 million guaranteed base salary next season. If he is on the roster through March 17, Atlanta (or whichever team acquires him) would guarantee an additional $10 million roster bonus for 2026, bringing the total compensation to $100 million for two years of work.”
There’s a reality where the Falcons pay Kirk Cousins $90 million for one year of shotty work. That would be another embarrassing wart on a franchise that already has so many.
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Photographer: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
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