The Falcons have already been connected to a couple of available QBs, including Justin Fields and (most recently) Baker Mayfield. There could now be another big-name quarterback to add to the list. Dianna Russini of The Athletic expects the Falcons to “compete” for Kirk Cousins‘ services.
[RELATED: Falcons Interested In Baker Mayfield?]
According to Russini, the Falcons believe Cousins is the type of quarterback who can elevate the organization from “fringe playoff team to a contender.” Further, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is familiar with Cousins based on their time together in Washington.
Quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson has never worked alongside Cousins, but he does come from the same Sean McVay tree as Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. Russini cites that “seamless transition” as a reason why Cousins would make sense for Atlanta.
Despite coming off a torn Achilles, Cousins is expected to be the first QB domino to fall this offseason. A number of teams have been loosely connected to the veteran, but the majority of reports have focused on a return to Minnesota. Cousins has spent the past six seasons with the Vikings, guiding the team to winning records in three of those campaigns. However, the veteran only has a single playoff win to show for his efforts, and his playoff deficiencies will likely be reflected in his next contract.
Cousins has already earned $231MM in his career, including an initial contract with the Vikings (three years, $84MM) that was fully guaranteed. Cousins didn’t get the same kind of guarantees on his subsequent contracts in 2020 (two years, $66MM) and 2022 (one year, $35MM), but his camp has shown an ability to garner significant contracts throughout his career.
Those guarantees could end up being relevant during this year’s free agency. We previously heard that the Vikings were uncomfortable with some of the guarantee specifics during extension talks with the quarterback, resulting in talks ultimately breaking down. The Vikings have some incentive to re-sign Cousins as soon as possible, as the organization will be left with a $28.5MM dead-money charge if he isn’t re-signed by the start of the 2024 league year (3pm CT March 13). Considering the suitors that are starting to line up, Cousins may prefer to test the waters instead of immediately re-upping.
The Falcons will reportedly be active in looking for an upgrade on Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. The organization is currently armed with more than $25MM in cap space, and general manager Terry Fontenot has made it clear that he’ll consider every option as he looks to improve the position.
“That’s a top priority for us this offseason,” Fontenot recently said. “We are not going to close any doors. Be it trades, free agency [or] the draft. We’ll make sure we keep an open mind there. We’ll attack it and make sure that we get it right.”
•I wouldn’t be mad at that. I’d take him Fields Daniels Maye Nix or Russ and MAYBE McCarthy
Fan of Cousins but he’s had great offensive weapons around him for years with the Vikings, more than what Atl has to offer and hasn’t accomplished much with it….aside from the Minneapolis Miracle bomb to Diggs has he won much in the playoffs?
A lot factors into that
The Minneapolis Miracle was actually before Cousins got there (the Case Keenum year). Cousins’s playoff win was the walkoff TD pass against Brees and the Saints.
I remember this well as it cost me a 4 game parlay 🙁
Kirk Cousins was never the QB for the Minnrapolis Miracle. His only playoffs win came in New Orleans.
Ahh that’s right it was Keenum, kinda proves my point even more about Cousins…In the fantasy football world there was a joke you never play primetime games with Kirk, always chokes lol
These earnings posts never seem to account for government theft via income tax. You say he’s earned $231m? After the theft it’s closer to $120m.
Lol
Hey genius, without taxes, how do we pay for roads, infrastructure, etc?
Hey, show some sensitivity to his concern about how little money Kirk Cousins has taken home.
Weird how we had all of that before the federal income tax was created.
Most of this country’s current infrastructure did not exist before there was a federal income tax, no.
Dude literally thought “we had the Oregon Trail” was a savvy comeback.
Our soldiers should fight for free, I guess?
We should hold bake sales to buy them tanks and stuff?
It gets more fundamental than tanks. Every highway in the country has been built since federal income tax was introduced. And football would not be what it is without rural electrification projects by the federal government.
We should individually bill rural citizens for the previous rural electrification and current rural broadband efforts rather than offend their rugged individualism and need to pretend it’s everyone else who are the moochers.
Originally the ‘tax’ was meant to cost only the ‘top 1%’ money junkies. Later it was dealt to include everyone due to pressure from the ‘top 1%’ which also initiated the many IRS tax loopholes to exclude their ‘payments’ as much as possible.
Now the ‘middle class’ pays the most, and ‘your’ tax dollars are skimmed for many avenues that are NOT ‘infrastructure’, like Illegals and Ukraine!
For the cost of 5% of one year’s defense budget, we have (by funding Ukraine) degraded over half of Russia’s military capacity without losing a single US troop.
It’s the best bargain in US military history, by far.
That the middle class pays most of the taxes while the rich skate by is quite true, however.
We could extend this line of discussion for days trying to make sense of government money management and world events yet until we fix our damaged system positive progress for legal U.S. citizens will be hard to uncover.
He’ll be better over the next 3 years than most of the QBs drafted in first round I’d bet
“Fringe playoff team” – which Falcon spokesman spewed that dribble?
I agree with you, but in that division they are a fringe playoff team.
Doesn’t make sense that you’d spend your cap space on a 35 year old coming off an Achilles repair. I call bluff when a Justin Fields would cost you half of that.
Fields to Atlanta has made sense to me since midseason, but I can see the argument against it. Say he costs you #43 overall and you realistically have to pick up his fifth year option, which will cost about $25 million guaranteed in 2025. We’re three years into his career and still have no idea if he can be a consistently solid starter, and certainly haven’t seen regular high-level starter play. A new head coach and first time offensive coordinator coming from McVay might not want to hitch their wagon to a QB who still processes slowly, gets sacked a ton, and turns the ball over a lot. Cousins’ contract is going to be big, but he would only cost money, and they’re in a good cap situation. (Finding a good rookie contract QB would be better than both these options, of course.)
Hey Minnesota: take a look at Mayfield. Maybe McCarthy pans out but you won’t get him and every other prospect this year is like every year overrated…
Well neither Mayfield or Cousins is going to reach the free agent market so I guess the Falcons will have to go after Fields or maybe bring Matt Ryan back.
I’d legitimately be stunned if they manage to sign Cousins and still have money for Jefferson.
As of right now, it’s Ty & Cam in the backfield; is anyone comfortable with that?
That’s a fair point. I think mayfield would do well in Minnesota considering both he and Stefanski came from Cleveland. Unfortunately I see Minnesota overpaying for another overhyped college prospect that will not pan out.
Definitely not a bad option for falcons fans. Kirk Offers more of a floor with stability than Fields. Still wouldn’t make them a Super Bowl contender IMO but in the weaker NFC, who knows? The division is trash, no reason Cousins couldn’t guide them to 11-12 wins assuming health (which is a big if right now)
OverTheCap is your friend. The Falcons have over 37M in cap space and stand to add more with cuts to Heinicke and Lorenzo Carter.
I’ve been banging this drum for awhile.
With Bijan & Altier, Cousins’ play action skill set elevates everyone … might even be the hurdle Pitts needs.
I wouldn’t say “contender” (definitely wouldn’t call 2023 “fringe playoff” lol) but a couple of Defensive pieces and WR to compliment London … who knows?
How were they not a fringe playoff team this season, they could have won the division as late as week 15 but their QB situation kept choking.
That’s one of the main reasons I can’t say they were fringe and keep a straight face
Take a closer look at the 2023-2024 catches by the ViQueen receivers.
Seems it is that group that makes Cousins look good.
Not the other way around.
He’s goin back to Washington … “Hail to the commanders !” U Like That !
Atlanta will make a big offer as their other options at QB in 2024 aren’t very good – but unless they make it $55 million per year (fully guaranteed) there is not much chance they’ll land Cousins. Why should he choose to play for a defensive-minded head coach (who previously failed as a HC) and an untested OC (Zac Robinson) when he can stay in O’Connell’s system that fits him perfectly.
“We think Kirk Cousins is the perfect guy to lead us back to the mushy middle and continued irrelevance which, of course, is a Falcons’ tradition.”
Why bother?
The thing about Fields is that even if he’s not likely to be a star NFL QB who you can win with, there’s still a chance he COULD be…none of the other guys ever will AND you need one of those guys, so why waste time with middling wheel spinning options?
Cousins seem like a guy that would stick in Minnesota on a below market 2 year guaranteed contract. I see the Vikings drafting a QB either in round 1 or 2.
I see no reason Atlanta needs to sacrifice ‘24 or future draft slots for Fields.
Sitting at #8 gives them a choice of options regarding what is a ‘possible decent QB class’. The number of options at this position that might turn out to be ‘quality’ is greater than any of the previous 2-3 drafts.
It obvious those that ‘predict and rate’ prospects are full of cow dung as they often change their rankings daily and fail completely at the QB position.
So these 6 just might lead a team to the ‘promised land’,
USC – Williams
NC – Maye
LSU – Daniel’s
WA- Penix
ORE- Nix
Mich- McCarthy
and with the ‘evaluations’ being a dice throw paying big for any of them isn’t good business
I guess the Falcons have been so bad for so long, they’d be okay with overpaying Cousins so they can lose in the first round of the playoffs.