The Atlanta Falcons may be out of options—at least for now—when it comes to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. A trade was expected at some point during the offseason, but that path appears to have closed, especially after Aaron Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“That stinks for Cousins, and the Falcons may not be too thrilled about running out of trade options either. While Atlanta has said it is ‘comfortable’ keeping Cousins around as its backup, general manager Terry Fontenot can’t be eager to hand out a $27.5 million salary to his QB2,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote.
If the Falcons decide to keep Cousins, however, it could create tension in the quarterback room—especially with rookie Michael Penix Jr. expected to start.
“If Penix struggles early — four of Atlanta’s first five games are against 2024 playoff teams and three of the team’s first six are in prime time — it could be tempting to go back to the veteran Cousins even after he disappointed last season,” wrote ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “It’s the main reason the Falcons should have worked harder to unload Cousins this offseason.”
With the Steelers seemingly the last viable trade partner, it appears the Falcons are stuck—for now. Still, NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha believes Cousins could eventually end up starting elsewhere this season.
“[Dak] Prescott was one of four different signal-callers who didn’t finish last season because of injury,” wrote Chadiha. “Two years ago, the Browns started five quarterbacks, while the Vikings and Jets each started four. It’s a fact of life: Quarterbacks go down in this league. This is why Cousins has a decent shot of playing some place this year.”
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The Falcons may already be prepared to pick up the phone the moment a starting quarterback goes down. Cousins brings veteran experience, and if a hidden injury was responsible for his underwhelming performance last season, taking a chance on him could still pay off.
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