Reunion Between Kirk Cousins, Vikings Gaining Momentum?
The Vikings’ desire to add competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy could lead them back to old friend Kirk Cousins. With the Falcons expected to release Cousins in the next few weeks, he could be free to sign anywhere soon.
There is “growing sentiment” among NFL executives in the QB market that Cousins will rejoin the Vikings, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom reports. The move would reunite the 37-year-old with head coach Kevin O’Connell, who had success with Cousins in the past.
In 2022, the Vikings’ first season under O’Connell, Cousins threw for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns on his way his fourth and most recent Pro Bowl nod. The Vikings went 13-4 and won the NFC North, but a 9-7-1 Giants team upended them in the wild-card round.
Statistically, Cousins got off to an even better start in 2023. However, a Week 8 Achilles tear wound up ending his Vikings tenure.
With Cousins hitting free agency during the ensuing offseason, the Vikings tried but failed to re-sign him. They were unwilling to give Cousins full guarantees through 2025. That wasn’t going to fly for Cousins, who went on to accept the Falcons’ Godfather offer of four years, $180MM and $100MM in guarantees.
A month and a half after adding Cousins, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot took another enormous gamble in drafting former Indiana and Washington signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. It came as a major surprise, and Cousins later revealed he may have re-signed with the Vikings had he known the Falcons would draft Penix.
“It felt like I had been a little bit misled or certainly if I had had the information around free agency, it would have affected my decision,” Cousins said last summer. “I had no reason to leave Minnesota, as much as we loved it there, if both teams were drafting a quarterback high.”
Despite Fontenot’s efforts, the Falcons still don’t have a clear answer at QB. Cousins struggled to regain form in the first year of his contract, leading head coach Raheem Morris to bench him for Penix ahead of Week 16. The Falcons were 7-7 and fighting for a playoff spot when Morris made the change. They finished 1-2 under Penix and missed the postseason for the seventh straight year.
Penix remained Atlanta’s starting entering last season, but it proved to be another rough season for the club. The Falcons went 8-9 again, and the oft-injured Penix was inconsistent before suffering a partially torn ACL in Week 11. The Falcons were 3-7 at the time. Cousins quarterbacked them to a 5-2 mark to wrap up the season, but it wasn’t enough to save Fontenot or Morris. Owner Arthur Blank fired the pair and replaced them with a new regime of president of football Matt Ryan, GM Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
A couple days after ousting Fontenot and Morris, the Falcons reworked Cousins’ contract, which signaled a forthcoming release. If Cousins is still a Falcon on the third day of the league year, he’ll earn a guaranteed $67.9MM for 2027. The restructuring also includes an $80MM poison pill for March 13, according to La Canfora. Considering the language in his deal, he’s as good as gone. The Falcons would take on a $35MM dead cap charge in designating Cousins a post-June 1 release, but they’d spread that over two seasons ($22.5MM in 2026, $12.5MM in ’27). The team would also save $2.1MM in cap room next season.
As is the case with the Falcons and Penix, the Vikings don’t know if they have the solution in their own 2024 first-round passer. Two picks after Penix came off the board, the Vikings selected McCarthy 10th overall.
A year after winning the national championship at Michigan, McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn meniscus. The Vikings didn’t miss a beat without McCarthy, though, as veteran Sam Darnold revived his career during a 14-win outburst.
After their season ended with an ugly wild-card round loss to the Rams, the Vikings didn’t retain Darnold. They also couldn’t prevent late-season backup acquisition Daniel Jones from leaving for a chance to start in Indianapolis. Darnold walked in free agency for the Seahawks’ three-year, $100.5MM offer. One season later, Darnold and the Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. Jones had a terrific year in his own right before it ended with a torn Achilles in Week 14.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are coming off a nine-win season in which poor QB play torpedoed their chances of earning a playoff berth. McCarthy posted subpar numbers over 10 starts, and three injuries – a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand – kept him out of seven games. The Vikings have since fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the GM who drafted McCarthy.
“They can say what they want publicly, but they have some serious questions about McCarthy,” one GM told La Canfora.
Vikings executive vice president Rob Brzezinski is now their interim GM, but O’Connell wields plenty of decision-making power. If he regards Cousins as an ideal veteran to place in the QB room with McCarthy, a reunion could be in store.
Matt Ryan Non-Committal On Michael Penix Jr.’s Status As Falcons’ QB1; Latest On Kirk Cousins’ Future
The Falcons have a new collection of decision-makers in place in the form of president of football Matt Ryan, general manager Ian Cunningham, and head coach Kevin Stefanski. One of the top priorities for that trio will be devising a short- and long-term quarterback plan.
During last week’s introductory press conference for Cunningham, Ryan was asked if Michael Penix Jr. would step back into his QB1 role when he is recovered from the partially-torn ACL he sustained in November. As ESPN’s Marc Raimondi relays, Ryan was notably non-committal on that front.
“Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can’t answer your question on that,” Ryan said of himself and Cunningham (even though final personnel authority belongs to Ryan, with both Cunningham and Stefanski reporting to him). “I think as we start to get into this process and dive deeper into the roster – how it currently stands, where it’s going in the future – I think those are conversations that’ll be a part of it.”
The club hoped it would be set at the quarterback position for the foreseeable future after making two splashes in the 2024 offseason. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins in free agency in March 2024 and then surprised everyone (including Cousins) by selecting Penix with the No. 8 overall pick of that year’s draft. Cousins’ first season in Atlanta was derailed by injury, and he was ultimately benched in favor of Penix, who entered the 2025 offseason as the unquestioned starter. Despite Cousins’ status as an obvious trade/release candidate, the Falcons elected to retain the four-time Pro Bowler as the most expensive backup passer in NFL history.
Penix did not make the progress the Falcons hoped for in his sophomore campaign, and his season-ending ACL injury allowed Cousins to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup. In his 10 appearances (eight starts) in 2025, Cousins completed 61% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games. He posted a 5-3 record as a starter.
The terms of Cousins’ recent contract restructure mean he will soon be released. However, there is at least a theoretical possibility that Atlanta could re-sign Cousins after releasing him, as we recently suggested. In that scenario, the 37-year-old would represent a viable stopgap solution until Penix is medically cleared. Cousins’ familiarity with Stefanski’s system – Stefanski was Cousins’ quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 2018-19 – could make a new contract more likely. While retirement and a foray into broadcasting are also on the table, Cousins said he feels “rejuvenated” after finishing out the 2025 season as a starter and would like to continue playing in 2026 (via NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman).
Penix recently suggested he would be cleared by April, but Raimondi stands by prior reporting on the southpaw’s timeline. The ESPN scribe referenced a timeline of nine to 12 months.
“Quarterback’s obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab,” Ryan said of Penix. “I’ve been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael’s been in there attacking that and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.”
Deadline Set For Expected Kirk Cousins’ Release
FEBRUARY 7: When the Falcons restructured Cousins’ contract a month ago, they set a pretty glaring deadline by which they would need to cut the veteran quarterback. The team shifted $35MM of 2026 base salary to 2027, increasing that year’s base salary to $67.9MM, a number that would become fully guaranteed if Cousins is still on the roster on March 13 of this year. Therefore, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Atlanta is expected to release Cousins before that date.
In speculating on Cousins’ future, Schefter relayed that, while Cousins wants to play next season, the door is open to both retirement and television. Cousins got a bit of experience on the small screen after the season while appearing on CBS’s postseason pregame show, and if he isn’t able to find a quarterback-needy team on which he can make an impact, he may just make the full-time transition to television or could just hang it all up altogether.
JANUARY 30: Though the Falcons hired one of Kirk Cousins‘ former coaches, he is still expected to be on his way out of Atlanta in early March, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
Cousins, 37, worked closely with new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski during their shared time in Minnesota. Stefanski was the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach when Cousins signed with the team in 2018 and was promoted to interim offensive coordinator during the season. He held onto the gig for the 2019 season and called plays for Cousins as he passed his way to his second Pro Bowl.
However, their reunion is expected to be extremely short-lived. Cousins’ contract was recently reworked to essentially force his release before the start of free agency. The Falcons would consider re-signing Cousins’ on a cheaper deal than his current contract, but he will likely look for a clearer starting opportunity elsewhere. Michael Penix‘s ongoing recovery from knee surgery could sideline him at the start of the 2026 season, but he is expected to retake the starting job once he is healthy.
If Cousins cannot find a more appealing situation, he may opt for a return to Atlanta to once again work with Stefanski. He would start until Penix comes back on the field, and theoretically, he could play well enough to keep the starting job. That seems unlikely given his performance in the last two years, but perhaps Stefanski could reinvigorate the veteran quarterback.
Stefanski acknowledged his connection with Cousins after he was hired by the Falcons, but did not provide any insight on his future.
“Obviously, I have a previous relationship with Kirk, but I don’t know if it’s the time yet to talk about all those types of things,” Stefanski said (via Kendall). “Those conversations will come in due time.”
Falcons Rework Kirk Cousins’ Contract
Kirk Cousins recently expressed an openness to staying in Atlanta; as the franchise overhauls its staff, it does not appear that will happen. The Falcons restructured Cousins’ contract Tuesday, and the move points the high-priced quarterback out of town.
The Falcons’ redo will drop Cousins’ 2026 salary from $35MM to $2.1MM, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, who passes along a significant date that will most likely change the QB’s address soon. The Falcons have placed a $67.9MM guarantee for 2027 in this restructure, and a 2026 trigger date is now in place.
[RELATED: Matt Ryan Expected To Take Prominent Front Office Role]
If Cousins is on Atlanta’s roster by March 13, that $67.9MM 2027 number locks in, per Yates. It is extraordinarily unlikely the Falcons or any other team will want any part of that number, pointing to a release before that date. This restructure does not change any Cousins guaranteed money for 2026.
As long as Cousins is off the Falcons’ roster by March 13, he will only count $10MM in remaining guarantees. This restructure will increase the dead money number — currently at $35MM — for a 2026 release, however.
The Falcons entertained trade talks involving Cousins last year, but the team wanted an acquiring club to eat a sizable portion of Cousins’ 2025 money. Nothing happened, and Cousins remained Michael Penix Jr.‘s backup entering the season. A Penix injury ended up making Cousins an eight-game starter, but the younger passer will be on track to reclaim his job ahead of the 2026 season.
Cousins, 37, sought a Falcons release early during the 2025 offseason. He met with Arthur Blank about a release last March, but the owner refused the request. Cousins signed a four-year, $180MM contract that came with $90MM at signing in March 2024. Rather than trade or release Cousins last March, the Falcons allowed the additional $10MM guarantee (for 2026) to vest, marking a bit of a surprise since they had demoted him for Penix late in the 2024 season.
Cousins finished with 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions during his 2025 Penix relief stint, but his completion percentage (61.7) and yards per attempt (6.4) represented career-low figures — in terms of seasons he has been his team’s primary starter. He could still appeal to a team as a bridge option, seeing as the ex-Washington draftee has 167 starts on his resume and three playoff appearances as a primary starter. Cousins was coming off an Achilles tear in 2024 and developed arm trouble that season as well. While the current version of Cousins is unlikely to excite QB-needy teams, he could serve as a passable stopgap.
The financially shrewd passer’s days of commanding starter-level deals are probably over, however. Cousins famously scored a three-year, $84MM Vikings deal that came fully guaranteed in 2018, doing so after being twice franchise-tagged on his way out of Washington. After Cousins and the Vikings could not agree on a fourth contract in 2024, he hit free agency and landed with a Falcons team that saw hopeful starter Desmond Ridder disappoint. The Falcons then drafted Penix eighth overall six weeks later. Cousins was blindsided by the unusual move and said it would have affected his decision to sign had he known a top-10 QB pick was on tap.
Kirk Cousins Open To Staying With Falcons; Latest On Kyle Pitts
Kirk Cousins made a persistent effort to leave Atlanta this year. The high-priced quarterback — one the team demoted late in the 2024 season — met with Arthur Blank about a release last spring. No trade or release took place, despite Cousins’ desire for the latter route, and he ended up starting nearly half the season.
Michael Penix Jr.‘s injury trouble resurfaced, giving Cousins a runway to start eight games. Cousins quarterbacked five of Atlanta’s eight wins this season. Two years remain on Cousins’ four-year, $180MM contract; only $10MM guaranteed remains on the deal. Penix remains the presumptive Falcons starter in 2026, but the QB’s injury trouble — a primary plotline during his Indiana years — certainly qualifies as an issue at this point.
Months after his meeting with Blank and voiced preference to be released (amid Penix’s rise to QB1 status), Cousins said he is open to staying with the Falcons. Confirming he is not planning to retire, the 14-year veteran said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) he would “love” to stay in Atlanta. The 37-year-old QB is due a $35MM base salary in 2026.
The Falcons would be unlikely to unload all of that in a trade. The Terry Fontenot-led front office had sought to have an acquiring team pick up too much of the tab for clubs’ liking. Cousins’ performance in 2024 had already depressed his trade value, but the Falcons — who let Cousins’ $10MM 2026 guarantee vest this past March — stuck to their guns. Cousins’ presence did not end up mattering in the playoff race, but the Falcons did win four straight games and finished in a three-way tie for first in the again-dismal NFC South. This did not save Fontenot or Raheem Morris‘ jobs, leaving Cousins in limbo.
Cousins finished with 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions, but his completion percentage (61.7) and yards per attempt (6.4) represented career-low figures — in terms of seasons he has been his team’s primary starter. A team could be interested in Cousins, but his contract will become an issue once again if any trade talks are to commence. Minimal trade interest emerged during the season.
The presence of a veteran starter did help Kyle Pitts. Four years after thriving as a rookie with Matt Ryan targeting him, the former first-round tight end came alive at a rather important time. The contract-year pass catcher finished with 88 receptions for 928 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. This included an 11-catch, 166-yard, three-TD night in an upset win over the Buccaneers. Pitts has set himself up well for free agency, even considering his inconsistent past.
A rumor pointing to the Falcons franchise-tagging Pitts came up, but with the team making wholesale changes, ESPN’s Dan Graziano does not see the team extending the 6-foot-6 performer at high-level rate. No known extension talks have taken place.
Drake London will assuredly be a priority, and the standout wide receiver is going into a contract year. Bijan Robinson is also now extension-eligible. This could still keep the tag in play, but an extension may be a stretch for a retooling team. Considering Pitts’ 1,000-yard season came with Ryan targeting him, it will be interesting to learn the retired QB-turned-exec’s views on the matter now that he appears set to take a lead front office role with his former team.
Falcons HC Raheem Morris Discusses Kirk Cousins’ Future
DECEMBER 19: To little surprise, Kendall’s colleague Jeff Howe writes a Cousins trade should not be expected this offseason. If a parting of ways is to take place, a release represents the logical path from Atlanta’s perspective. With plenty of uncertainty on the sidelines and in the front office, though, Cousins’ future remains unclear.
DECEMBER 18: With the goal of establishing a long-term plan at quarterback, the Falcons made multiple aggressive moves to bolster the position after the 2023 season. Their first bold strike came when they signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180MM pact with $100MM in guarantees in March 2024.
With Cousins in the fold on a mega-deal, there was no expectation the Falcons would immediately use a high pick on a passer in that spring’s draft. They stunningly did just that in selecting former Indiana Hoosier and Washington Husky Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall.
Despite Penix’s presence, Cousins entered 2024 as the Falcons’ unquestioned QB1. Although he signed with Atlanta after prolific runs in Washington and Minnesota, Cousins’ Vikings tenure ended with a torn Achilles in Week 8 of 2023. Over two years since suffering that injury, he hasn’t regained his old form.
Cousins bounced back from his Achilles tear to start the Falcons’ first 14 games last season. He posted mediocre-at-best numbers and led the team to a middling 7-7 record, though, and head coach Raheem Morris benched Cousins for Penix ahead of Week 16. Although the Falcons lost two of three under Penix and missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year, he showed enough to remain the starter heading into 2025.
With Penix taking over, Cousins was interested in a change of scenery in the offseason. Nothing came together on that front, leaving Cousins as a ridiculously expensive backup.
As was the case with Cousins in 2024, Penix didn’t look like the answer this year. His season ended with a partially torn ACL in a Week 11 loss to the Panthers. The Falcons, 3-7 at that point, turned back to Cousins to close out a dud of a campaign. The 37-year-old has put together a couple of strong performances and a pair of clunkers in his return to a starting role. Cousins turned back the clock in a Week 15 win over the Buccaneers, completing 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
Now 5-9, the Falcons are guaranteed to miss the playoffs again. Owner Arthur Blank will spend the next three weeks evaluating Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. They aren’t locks to return next year. Neither is Cousins, whose contract remains an albatross.
There are still two years left on Cousins’ deal, but the four-time Pro Bowler has the mentality of a soon-to-be free agent. Cousins said Wednesday that he feels as if he’s on an “expiring contract,” per Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
With an untenable $57.5MM cap hit in each of the next two seasons, it’s logical for Cousins to approach it that way. Designating Cousins as a post-June 1 release would enable the Falcons to spread out $35MM in dead cap over the next two seasons, Kendall notes. While an offseason split seems likely, Morris isn’t closing the door yet.
“Everything is on the table,” Morris said in regards to Cousins’ future. He later added: “We planned on the amount of years we put in his contract and hopefully potentially more. We will all sit down at the end of the season and have those discussions and talk about those things.”
Considering Penix may not be ready at the start of 2026, ditching Cousins would add to the Falcons’ questions under center. Morris said he still views Penix as the “quarterback of the future,” but his so-so performance in the pros and long-running history of serious injuries dating back to college don’t inspire confidence.
Whether it’s Cousins or someone else, the Falcons will have to line up a capable insurance policy at the position for next year. With Morris and Fontenot potentially on the outs, it’s possible a new regime will decide Cousins’ fate.
Jets GM Darren Mougey Has Scouted QBs Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore In Person; Latest On Team’s 2026 QB Plans
If the season ended today, the 2-9 Jets would hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 draft. Even if they do not end up with that pick – and it is certainly feasible they lose enough games down the stretch to find themselves even higher on the draft board – they should be in prime position to select one of next year’s top quarterback prospects.
To that end, GM Darren Mougey has scouted Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore in person, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes. Unfortunately for Mougey, the 2026 class of signal-callers, once viewed as a promising one, has seen its stock drop over the course of the 2025 season.
Mendoza has been among the most impressive collegiate QBs and is viewed by many as the top prospect likely to declare for the 2026 draft. Although the game that Mougey attended featured Mendoza leading a dramatic, game-winning drive against Penn State, opinions are split on his ceiling at the NFL level. Moore, meanwhile, is only 20 and could benefit from another year of development in the college ranks.
If players like Moore, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, and Texas’ Arch Manning decide to stay in school for one more season, that will strengthen a 2027 class that is already set to include Florida’s DJ Lagway and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola. We had heard one of the reasons Mougey was willing to accept a 2027 first-round pick from the Cowboys in this month’s Quinnen Williams trade was because of his belief that the ‘27 draft class offers more promise than its ‘26 counterpart. So, while the first-year GM is obviously doing his due diligence, he may wait another year to make a high-end draft investment in a QB (though Cimini says in a separate piece that there is “growing buzz” in league circles connecting Mendoza to the Jets).
Whether it is Mendoza or someone else, Cimini thinks the Jets will add a rookie QB in the 2026 draft, and he also believes Mougey will acquire a veteran passer. Despite the fact that Justin Fields’ 2026 salary includes $10MM in guaranteed money, Cimini indicates Mougey will likely release the recently-demoted signal-caller – which jibes with previous reports on the matter – and will not try to re-sign his replacement, Tyrod Taylor.
As per usual, the 2026 crop of free agents offers little by way of starting-caliber quarterbacks, and the one that does qualify as such, Daniel Jones, may not make it to free agency. Mougey could therefore look to the trade market to acquire a bridge passer, and Cimini names Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, and Kirk Cousins as potential targets (Murray and Jones, at least, could also be in the Vikings’ crosshairs).
UDFA rookie Brady Cook has spent most of the year on the Jets’ practice squad, though he has been elevated on several occasions to operate as a backup (he has not, however, seen any regular season game action). In response to a question about whether Cook would get into a game in 2025, head coach Aaron Glenn conceded it was a possibility, but he offered no guarantees.
Falcons QB Michael Penix To Undergo Season-Ending ACL Surgery
The Falcons announced on Wednesday that second-year quarterback Michael Penix would undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee to address a partially-torn ACL.
Penix went down in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Panthers. He was replaced by Kirk Cousins and did not return. At first thought to be a re-aggravation of the bone bruise Penix suffered in October, further testing revealed that he also sustained a partial ACL tear and a knee sprain. With Atlanta all-but-eliminated from the playoffs, the team opted to shut their 26-year-old quarterback down in the hopes that he can return for the start of the 2026 season.
Cousins will move forward as the Falcons’ starter in yet another twist in the 37-year-old’s 14-year career. He arrived in Atlanta in March 2024 on a four-year, $160MM contract ($90MM fully guaranteed) and the intention to start for at least a few years. Instead, the Falcons drafted Penix in the first round of the 2024 draft and installed him as the starter for the last three games of his rookie season. It seemed like Cousins’ time in Atlanta was over, but his contract made it impossible for the Falcons to trade or release him. Instead, they held onto him as the most expensive and experienced backup in the league with the expectation of parting ways in 2026.
Penix’s injury therefore creates a huge opportunity for Cousins to rebuild his stock after a poor debut season in Atlanta. 2024 was his worst year as a starter, featuring a league- and career-high 16 interceptions and a career-low 88.6 passer rating. He now has a chance to audition for a starting job elsewhere next season. His lone start this year, a 34-10 loss to the Dolphins in Week 8, did not show much improvement. He completed just 21 of his 31 passing attempts for 173 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions, and a 81.8 passer rating. Taking over as the full-time starter could yield better results, though he will be without star wideout Drake London for at least one week.
Head coach Raheem Morris said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) that practice squad QB Easton Stick will be signed to the active roster to serve as Cousin’s backup. Stick’s spot was filled by former Buccaneer Kyle Trask, who will now be the Falcons’ third-string quarterback.
Morris did not outline a timetable for Penix’s return. He will need a full reconstruction, according NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, with an estimated recovery time of at least nine months. Depending on the exact date of his surgery, that would position Penix to return just before the start of the 2026 regular season. Morris said (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that the Falcons will have to reevaluate their approach to the quarterback position this offseason. Whether or not that includes retaining Cousins remains to be seen.
This is the third torn ACL and reconstructive surgery of Penix’s career. The first two came in 2018 and 2020 and impacted his right knee, while his current partial tear is in his left knee. He will be entering his third NFL season coming off a major injury with legitimate questions about his potential as a long-term starter in the NFL. In 14 appearances, Penix has recorded a 59.6% completion rate, 7.2 yards per attempt, and a 85.8 passer rating. The Falcons have a 4-8 record in his 12 starts and will almost assuredly miss the postseason this year.
Next year will be a major test for Penix’s ability to bounce-back and prove that he is Atlanta’s franchise quarterback. The Falcons have to make a decision on his fifth-year option (for the 2028 season) during the 2027 offseason and may also be evaluating Penix against any other quarterbacks they pick up during his absence.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Suffers Partial ACL Tear, Likely Done For Season
10:01pm: The Falcons will place Penix on IR, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report. Along with damage to his ACL, Penix aggravated a bone bruise and a knee sprain.
11:13am: Penix has a partial ACL tear and is expected to miss the rest of the season, according to Palmer.
9:55am: Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a potential season-ending knee injury in a 30-27 loss to the Panthers on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Penix will go for a second opinion, but his chances of a 2025 return don’t look good. The Falcons believe Penix is done for the season, per James Palmer of The Athletic.
It seemed likely that Penix would miss at least some time when he exited early on Sunday. However, a possible season-ending injury comes as a surprise. Penix previously sat out a game this year with a bone bruise in his left knee, which he re-injured against Carolina. Kirk Cousins, who replaced Penix, will take over for the foreseeable future.
The Falcons used the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft on Penix, a stunning move after they signed Cousins to a four-year, $180MM deal with $100MM in guarantees in free agency.
Penix entered the NFL with a couple of major knee injuries in his past. Then with Indiana, Penix suffered season-ending right ACL tears in both 2018 and ’20. The southpaw finished his college career with a pair of healthy and productive seasons as a Washington Huskie, leading the Falcons to take a chance on him in the first round.
Penix began his pro career as Cousins’ backup, but the Falcons switched to the heir apparent late last season. After starting 7-7 under Cousins, the team replaced him with Penix. While Atlanta lost two of its final three games en route to an 8-9 finish, Penix showed head coach Raheem Morris enough to grab the reins as the team’s unquestioned starter entering this season. The demoted Cousins wanted out in the offseason, whether via trade or release. The Falcons wound up retaining him.
With Penix at the helm for all but one game this season, the Falcons have stumbled to a disappointing 3-7 record. Penix has underwhelmed at the head of an offense that ranks 18th in passing and 27th in scoring. He has completed 60.1% of passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions. The 25-year-old ranks 17th in the league in QBR and 23rd in passer rating.
It remains to be seen whether Penix’s injury will be severe enough to affect his availability for any of 2026. In the meantime, the Falcons will turn back to Cousins. The Falcons gambled on a Cousins mega-deal despite the fact that he suffered a torn Achilles midway through his final season with the Vikings in 2023.
Cousins, who had been prolific passer throughout his career with Washington and Minnesota, hasn’t recaptured his old form since moving to Atlanta. In his lone start this year, a 34-10 loss to Miami in Week 8, Cousins went 21 for 31 for 173 yards. He finished a lackluster 6 for 14 for 48 yards in relief of Penix in Week 11.
Having lost five in a row to fall to 13th place in the NFC, the Cousins-led Falcons will need a miraculous run to earn a playoff berth. To worsen matters, Cousins will go at least one week without the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver, Drake London, who sprained his PCL against Carolina. London won’t play in New Orleans this Sunday, and it’s possible he’ll miss more time after that, per Rapoport.
Vikings Could Trade For Veteran QB
Recent reports on the Vikings’ quarterback depth chart suggested they would keep UDFA rookie Max Brosmer as their QB2 behind starter J.J. McCarthy. That may not be the case, however.
Although Minnesota allowed Sam Darnold to walk in free agency this offseason, the club did attempt to retain Daniel Jones, who turned down a more lucrative offer from the Vikes to join the Colts (a wise decision, in hindsight). And, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter observes, the Vikings did want a veteran backup for McCarthy this year, which is why they tried to re-sign Jones and why they already had a deal lined up with Carson Wentz when they traded Sam Howell in August (Howell himself was acquired by Minnesota via trade just four months prior).
Wentz served as an injury replacement for McCarthy over the Vikings’ last five games, winning two of them. The former No. 2 overall pick is now done for the season due to a shoulder injury, but McCarthy is now healthy and is set to return to his place in the starting lineup. For the time being, Brosmer is McCarthy’s clipboard holder, and recent acquisition John Wolford will operate as the third signal-caller.
Schefter’s sources say Minnesota’s thought process with respect to its QB2 role has not really changed. The team is said to be high on Brosmer, but a veteran passer would be welcome nonetheless, according to Schefter.
With the 2025 trade deadline just two days away, the Vikings would need to act quickly to make that happen. Familiar face and current Falcon Kirk Cousins, who recently underwhelmed in a one-game relief appearance for Michael Penix Jr., would make sense. As Schefter confirms, though, Atlanta has shown no inclination to trade last year’s free agent prize and seems unlikely to change its stance in that regard.
The Giants’ Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston have long been floated as trade candidates, and rookie Jaxson Dart’s ascent to Big Blue’s starting quarterback gig has solidified the veterans’ status as potential trade bait. It is fair to wonder, as Schefter does, if one of those two players could be on the move in the next 48 hours or so.