Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, one of the most prominent names in this offseason’s news cycle, remains with Atlanta despite being an obvious trade/release candidate. After Aaron Rodgers signed with the Steelers, the last team that realistically would install Cousins as a QB1 took itself off the list of potential destinations, leaving the soon-to-be 37-year-old on track to be the most expensive backup signal-caller in NFL history.
While Cousins obviously would like to be traded or released so he can finish his career atop someone’s depth chart, he seems resigned to the fact that he may spend at least the 2025 campaign as second-year passer Michael Penix Jr.’s mentor and clipboard holder. Of course, if another club’s starter should get injured at some point before the trade deadline, Cousins could find himself on the move.
But given the way Cousins’ 2024 season ended, it is fair to wonder how even a QB-needy team will view him. In the span of five games from Week 10 to Week 15, he threw just one touchdown against nine interceptions and led the Falcons to a 1-4 record, which torpedoed the club’s playoff chances (Atlanta was 6-3 before that point). After that stretch, he was demoted in favor of Penix.
On the other hand, Cousins did sustain a hit to his right arm and shoulder in a Week 10 loss that appeared to have a real and significant impact on his performance. Prior to that game, he had a TD:INT ratio of 17:7, which makes the injury a clear demarcation point between a solid, starter-level showing and a disastrous few weeks that precipitated his benching.
Assuming he is recovered from the Week 10 injury, a team that suddenly has the need for a viable starting option could certainly convince itself that Cousins, despite his age, can be the player he was in the first half of the 2024 season and throughout much of his time in Minnesota. To that point, Cousins says he expects his health to be a non-issue.
“I think I’ve still got a little bit more to go but very encouraged by the progress I’ve made since January,” Cousins told reporters, including ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, at this month’s mandatory minicamp. “So, even jogging out here today, just very encouraged by what I felt compared to where I was even like six weeks ago out here throwing with the guys. And I believe there’s more progress up ahead, too.”
Cousins also addressed the Achilles tear that prematurely ended his 2023 season, his last as a member of the Vikings. Per Raimondi, Cousins says he was not as healthy as he believed he was going into 2024, which may or may not jibe with comments he made in an appearance on Good Morning Football: Overtime back in February.
During that interview, Cousins said the Achilles healed well and that, although he was also trying to get his right ankle “back,” those issues did not impact his play too much, as evidenced by the 6-3 start and his overall body of work in the first half of last season. But in his comments several weeks ago, Cousins said that while he focused on strengthening his ankle after the Achilles tear, he did not work enough on his mobility, which affected him negatively.
In any case, it sounds as if he will be at full strength if Atlanta or some other team should call on him in 2025. Fortunately, Cousins did not require any offseason surgeries on his arm or shoulder, nor any follow-up procedures on his Achilles or ankle.
One of the obstacles to a trade is the fully-guaranteed $27.5MM salary that Cousins is due this year, as well as the $10MM roster bonus for 2026 that has already vested. Raimondi believes the Falcons would be willing to pull the trigger on a deal if the acquiring team takes on $10MM of Cousins’ 2025 pay (that team would be liable for the 2026 roster bonus as well).
Raimondi confirms recent reports indicating there is no trade market at the moment, though he also believes such a market could quickly form in the event of an injury to another team’s starting QB. Assuming the Falcons and a prospective suitor agree to trade terms, Cousins would surely waive his no-trade clause for the opportunity to start elsewhere.
We won’t get too far into the season before some team loses it’s starting QB for a significant amount of time. I think Rodgers and Stafford are prime candidates to land on IR early. Wilson could be too but the Giants would probably just throw Dart to the wolves rather than sign Cousins.
The Giants also have Winston.
They could go with Winston before Dart too.
Schoen and Daboll probably need a small miracle to stay employed so I think they would rather take a flyer on Dart than go with Winston who has always found a way to go cold as ice after his short and infrequent hot streaks.
That team could be the Falcons, given Penix’s injury history in college.
Don’t forget the ever healthy combo of Daniel Jones and ARich.
I’m by no means a QB talent evaluator guru, but I’d rather have Tannehill at $5-10 million, over Cousins at 40 mil.
I believe Cousins would only cost an acquiring team $27.5 million and that’s if Atlanta didn’t take on any additional money. Tannehill sat out all of last year and sure looked like he was washed the year before. I like Tannehill, and his situation in Tennessee was brutal at the end, but when a guy who always takes a lot of sacks loses a couple of steps and then sits out a year, that seems like a guy you don’t actually want to put in action.
Can we agree on if Cousins/Tannehill is your starting QB, your season is probably over?
One would think. But I think there’s much more possibility that Cousins looks better another year removed from his injury than Tannehill does a year of sitting out removed from just looking done. Not saying Cousins could be a top 10 quarterback or anything, but I think he could possibly still be a starting caliber QB and I think that ship has sailed forever with Tannehill.
Cousins > Tannehill
Definitely not. If healthy, Cousins can deliver the ball on time, and accurately. Also, think about this. In his 10 seasons as a starter, he’s had 8 different OC’s. Yet he still produces in a new offense almost every year. I don’t know of any QB ever, other than Cousins, who has done that.
Cousins 2025 salary is $27.5mm but an acquiring team would also take on $10 guaranteed for 2026. If Cousins signed for more than $10 million in 2026 the team would be off the hook (due to offset language), but if he couldn’t get more than $10 million in 2026 he’d just sign for the veteran minumum (about $1.3 million) and have the 2025 acquiring team pay the rest.
If Penix gets hurt or doesn’t continue his growth Falcons will look like geniuses for keeping Cousins . They also could get a good trade return from a contending team with a hurt QB.
There’s no guarantee Cousins will approve an in-season trade. He has a no-trade clause and his children will have already started their school year in the Atlanta area. For many players this would be a non-issue but I could see Cousins not wanting to be away from his wife and kids for months on end. Plus, there’s always a chance Penix will go down to injury himself. That was a recurring theme of his college career.
I dont think would waive trade clause either. He has said he doesn’t want another situation like now, but you never know. Right team, chance for playoffs.on Penix that’s why I said if goes down with injury Cousins can step in.
Geniuses for what? Keeping a QB they don’t want and missing the playoffs regardless of who their starting QB is?
Sounds like he got banged up pretty bad in week 10, which may be why there was little interest in trading for him. Is he even 100% medically cleared today?
You must really geek out on Injury reports. Not hating if you do, but you mentioned that every Cousins update lol
I do because I handicap the games, and am in contests in Las Vegas for decades. Cousins was not listed on the week 11 injury report, meaning he’s healthy. It’s clear now he wasnt. There’s lots of money riding on those reports. With the NFL in on sports wagering that’s insane. Should never happen.
Haha, not listed = healthy? The league that hides injuries more than any other
Actually you’re wrong. Cousins was listed on the week 11 injury report.
He “practiced fully” after that, and the Falcons were therefore not technically required to list him on the weekly injury report; and they didn’t.
Cousins is still recovering from that one hit almost 9 months later.
Um no he was not on the week 11 2024 NFL injury report. The Friday report is supposed to be final one, except for gametime decisions. It was clear something wasn’t right week 11 and moving forward. That means he should’ve been on the injury report with some designation. Tom Brady was always on it for “elbow”, even though he looked fine.
The team listed 16 players on its estimated injury report, including quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Tyler Allgeier. Cousins was limited with shoulder and elbow injuries to his right arm. Allgeier was among the nine other players limited due to a quadriceps injury.
He’s not on any injury report including the NFLs. Friday is the day they have to be declared.
link to cbssports.com
link to nfl.com
link to usatoday.com
Cousins > Penix
If Penix gets gets hurt, Atlanta’s other option is Easton Stick, who went 0-4 filling in for Justin Herbert. They may just want to keep their expensive backup.
Or they could start Easton Stick, lose every game he plays, and try again for a QB in the draft in 2026. Because Terry Fontenot likes to have the roster filled with high value QB’s. Maybe some day one of them will hit.
My personal opinion of Cousins is quite high. He is a top 10 QB in the NFL IMO because he is very accurate, processes the defense at light speed, and is tough as nails. I think any team he plays for is better for having him on their roster.
He deserves more credit than he’s given as a player (especially as a fifth round pick that had to wrest the starting job from a second overall pick who was given the opportunity to be the franchise starter). The thing against Cousins on the field is just that he’s not spectacular-he’s not big, he’s not fast, he doesn’t have a rocket arm, and like most passers, pressure can affect his play (particularly due to the first two negatives, it can be effective). When you look at it, though, Cousins does everything that you need a QB to do at a high level. It’s just not an elite level athletically, so people are harsher on him because they don’t see spectacular plays from him as they do with Mahomes or Rodgers or Allen.
The money that he’s made I think leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths for some reason, because they do not believe that he’s worth it. I don’t consider that relevant to Cousins’ success on the field-he is a very good quarterback when healthy, and is a tough competitor. In my opinion, the quarterbacks today aren’t as elite as those of the last generation (Brees, Manning, Brady, Rivers, Roethlisberger and others-Rodgers’ current iteration is the last of those in a lesser form), so I wouldn’t put Cousins on their level, though he plays in that style (mental timing, reading defenses, progressions, etc.). I do think, however, that he would be solid in that era, if not elite. The QBs today rely a bit more on athletic feats, and the easier offensive rules let them get away with offensive imprecision that they would not have before. Cousins is a bit closer to precision football than most of today’s younger passers, which also makes him him.