Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins To Remain Falcons’ QB2

February 25th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Falcons are planning to move forward with Kirk Cousins on the roster, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Cousins was tabbed for an offseason release after he was benched for the last three games of the 2024 season. After the season ended, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said that Cousins would remain in Atlanta as the backup quarterback behind Michael Penix.

Fontenot restated those plans at the Combine, adding, “We have to do what’s right for the Falcons,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Cousins’ contract has created a complicated situation in Atlanta. His $27.5MM base salary in 2025 is fully-guaranteed, making a pre-June 1 release almost impossible for the cap-strapped Falcons. A 2026 roster bonus worth $10MM will become fully-guaranteed on March 17, per OverTheCap, which would increase the dead cap hits resulting from a post-June 1 release.

Trading Cousins would allow the Falcons to pass on Cousins’ remaining salary and roster bonuses, but the struggles that led to his benching will likely dissuade any team from giving up draft picks and taking on his contract. Cousins has been linked with the Browns on multiple occasions, but only as a free agent signing, not a trade acquisition.

Cousins’ health also remains a concern. The 36-year-old was noticeably immobile in 2024 after recovering from a torn Achilles the season before. He also suffered injuries to his right shoulder and elbow in Week 10 that contributed to his downturn in play. With such a sizable contract, Cousins is unlikely to draw trade interest until he proves that he can be a healthy, starting-caliber quarterback.

All indications suggest that the Falcons are willing to play out the situation until a more palatable solution presents itself, either via trade or release further down the line. It’s worth noting that the Broncos opted to move on from Russell Wilson – even if it mean absorbing the largest dead cap hit in league history – so that Sean Payton could get a clean start with Bo Nix under center. If Cousins’ continued presence on the roster serves as a distraction, Atlanta may opt for a clean break rather than holding out hope of recouping some value in a trade.

Browns Rumors: Bitonio, Cousins, Newsome

February 23rd, 2025 at 12:45pm CST by Rory Parks

Towards the end of the Browns’ disappointing 2024 season, left guard Joel Bitonio said he had not yet decided whether to return for 2025 – the last year of his current contract – or retire. As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported just yesterday, Bitonio is still working through his decision, though he plans to let the team know before free agency opens next month. The 33-year-old blocker confirmed retirement remains “within the realm of possibilities” (via Zac Jackson of The Athletic).

Like teammate Myles Garrett, Bitonio said he wanted to hear the Browns’ plans for a return to contention in 2025, including their quarterback strategy. However, he also made clear that his decision to keep playing or hang up his cleats would primarily be informed by health and family considerations.

Retaining a player as good as Bitonio on a $1.26MM base salary and $3MM roster bonus would doubtlessly be a welcome development for the Browns. Indeed, Cleveland has a major question mark at left tackle – regardless of whether Dawand Jones is medically cleared in time for training camp, as expected – and the team must also navigate Garrett’s trade request and meaningfully address the quarterback position despite having the second-worst cap situation in the league as of the time of this writing.

Previous reports indicated the Browns will sign a veteran QB in free agency even if they plan to select one in April’s draft, and Kirk Cousins was mentioned as one FA possibility. The fact that Browns HC Kevin Stefanski worked as Cousins’ quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator with the Vikings from 2018-19 is a driving force behind Cousins-Cleveland speculation, as is the fact that the cap-strapped Browns could likely sign the 36-year-old for the veteran minimum. Albert Breer of SI.com confirms Cousins’ contract with the Falcons includes offset language, meaning that if he is released as expected, the only way he will land a deal in excess of the minimum in 2025 is if another team believes he is worth more than the $27.5MM for which Atlanta is already on the hook (which is highly unlikely, and Cousins has no real incentive to seek a higher payout and reduce his number of potential suitors).

Breer appears to agree that the signs pointing to an accord between Cousins and the Browns are real. He also expects the team to draft a QB regardless of whether Cousins or a different free agent is added to the mix. Cleveland, which presently holds the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, is already assured of landing either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders – the top prospects in an admittedly maligned class of collegiate QBs – though GM Andrew Berry has said he believes the class includes starting-caliber passers outside of Ward and Sanders.

Many people around the league agree Cousins will be a Browns target, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline writes. Especially if Cleveland does not manage to land Ward in the draft, the veteran could rebuild his value with a familiar face in the form of Stefanski while providing the team with a much-needed affordable short-term option under center.

The Browns have understandably stated they do not want to trade Garrett, but if they reverse course and unload him, they could also have a decision to make on their top cornerback, Denzel Ward. Ward, who is under club control through 2027 but who has no guaranteed salary due to him beyond 2025, has said Garrett’s trade request has a “huge impact” on his own future (thereby suggesting he could be planning his own exit strategy if Garrett were to be dealt).

For what it’s worth, Ward’s fellow CB, Greg Newsome II, previously said he wants to remain with the Browns for the long haul, a desire that he recently reiterated (via Cabot). He said he would try to talk Garrett out of his trade request, as he believes the team is just a quarterback away from being a legitimate contender.

Newsome is due to play out the 2025 campaign on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, which will pay him over $13MM. His hope to be a long-term member of the Browns notwithstanding, he indicated he is looking for a larger role in the defense.

In 2024, the former first-round pick played a career-low 70% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps, as Martin Emerson – who is extension-eligible for the first time this offseason – was Ward’s primary partner on the boundaries. That left Newsome to man the slot, and with opposing offenses favoring two-tight end sets, he did not see as much action as he would have liked.

“[T]here were games I was on the field 25% and 30% of the game, and as a football player, I feel like fans don’t understand, you can’t get in a rhythm for being on the field, out of 50 snaps, 15 snaps,” Newsome said. “That’s not how you play football. And that’s never what I’ve had to do in my career so far, so this was the first year of that and it was obviously a little frustrating, but I think we’ll figure this out.”

Newsome added that there have been no real extension talks between his camp and the Browns this offseason. Such conversations may not be at the top of Berry’s agenda at the moment, and if and when substantive talks do take place, Newsome’s recent trouble with his left hamstring – he had surgery on it prior to last summer’s training camp and then reinjured it in December – will be raised.

Nonetheless, Newsome said he is fully healthy and is ready to prove as much in what could be a platform year.

Sources Expect Titans To Trade No. 1 Overall Pick; Latest On Browns’, Giants’ QB Plans

February 14th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Rory Parks

FEBRUARY 14: The Titans are still trending towards trading the first overall pick in the 2025 Draft.

Of a panel of eight executives, coaches, and scouts, five believe that Tennessee will trade down to add more draft capital, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport, while three believe that they will stay at No. 1 and, most likely, pick a quarterback.

Their decision represents competing beliefs about how to utilize the top pick in the draft while rebuilding a franchise. Multiple members of the panel pointed out that the Titans’ roster needs go far beyond a quarterback. Trading back would allow them to build a better long-term situation for a future franchise signal-caller.

However, the first overall pick is a rare opportunity, and six of the last seven have been used on a quarterback.

“You have to make it count and get your quarterback,” said one assistant coach. “I think that’s what the Titans will do. Keep the top pick and draft Cam Ward.”

FEBRUARY 9: New Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi already indicated during his introductory press conference several weeks ago that his club is open to the possibility of trading the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Multiple sources tell ESPN’s Dan Graziano they believe Tennessee will do just that (subscription required).

The logic to a trade-down maneuver is clear. The Titans have plenty of holes to fill on their roster, and unless they become convinced one of the top signal-caller prospects in this year’s draft class (Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward) is their surefire QB of the future, moving down to collect additional draft capital makes plenty of sense.

Of course, Borgonzi & Co. are doing their due diligence on Sanders and Ward, and president of football operations Chad Brinker – who has final say over personnel matters, although Borgonzi will run the draft – indicated the team will not pass on a generational talent with the No. 1 pick. In other words, even if the Titans do not think highly enough of Sanders or Ward to make one of them the top overall pick in April, a non-QB blue-chipper like Travis Hunter could still convince Tennessee to retain its coveted position atop the draft board.

If the Titans do not select a QB with their first choice, regardless of where that selection might fall, Graziano notes that a free agent passer like Sam Darnold or Justin Fields could be in play. Or, Tennessee could simply elect to give 2023 second-rounder Will Levis one more shot to prove that he can be the solution under center.

The Browns (No. 2 overall), Giants (No. 3), Raiders (No. 6), and Jets (No. 7) all profile as potential trading partners for the Titans. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who confirms that Tennessee brass is keeping an open mind here, adds the Saints (No. 9) to the list of teams that could engage in trade talks.

Cleveland would not have to move too far up the board to assure itself of its top choice of quarterback prospects, and as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (video link) reiterates, the Browns are expected to draft a passer and would have done so even if Deshaun Watson had not suffered a second Achilles tear that puts his 2025 season in jeopardy. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (subscription required), Browns GM Andrew Berry believes a long-term starter can be found in this year’s much-maligned crop of collegiate QBs, even beyond the Sanders/Ward tier (although Berry naturally would not suggest otherwise at this point).

Pelissero adds that, no matter when Berry plans to pull the trigger on a college quarterback, Cleveland is also expected to add a veteran at the position. He names Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones as players to watch in that scenario.

In the same video link cited above, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says the Giants – whose only QB under contract at the moment is Tommy DeVito – will likewise be active in the veteran signal-caller market in advance of the draft. Garafolo confirms Darnold will be an option for Big Blue, and the team could again be on Russell Wilson’s radar (a sentiment echoed by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (see Graziano link above)).

Giants owner John Mara said last month he is open to resolving his club’s QB concerns with a veteran and/or a draft pick, though he appeared to suggest a prospect was the preferred route. Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post believes Mara’s team will try to move up to either the No. 1 or No. 2 slot to select a quarterback, and Dan Duggan of The Athletic thinks there is a good chance the Titans and Giants will strike a No. 1-for-No. 3 swap.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Addresses Health Status, 2025 Outlook

February 10th, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

FEBRUARY 10: Cousins and the Falcons have not been in communication since the season ended, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The team could ask Cousins to waive his no-trade clause if a parting ways were to be preferred, although the Michigan State product could request to be released and thus find his next team via free agency. A decision will need to be made by mid-March, and the report notes Atlanta may use most of the time between now and then to make a commitment one way or the other.

FEBRUARY 4: Kirk Cousins came to Atlanta amidst considerable fanfare and expectation last offseason, but his tenure is likely to come to an end soon. The Pro Bowl quarterback faces the prospect of being released by the Falcons shortly, something he addressed along with his health situation.

During an appearance on Good Morning Football: Overtime, Cousins spoke about his uncertain future (video link). The 36-year-old was benched in favor of first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr. late in the year, and the latter is in position to remain atop the depth chart moving forward. As a result, it was reported in December the Falcons are expected to release Cousins this offseason.

“I definitely feel like I have a lot of good football left in me,” the former Viking said when asked about his outlook for 2025 and beyond. “It’s still kind of uncertain. We’ll get to March and know a lot more. But I think the focus for me really is getting healthy. That’s really my focus is I gotta get healthy.”

On that point, Cousins detailed that his Achilles – which ruptured midway through the 2023 campaign – healed well and did not cause a major problem during his debut Falcons season. After a Week 10 hit which injured his right shoulder and elbow, however, he said his efforts to work through the ailment played a role in his regression. Cousins’ last stretch of starts before being benched saw his production drop off considerably with turnovers becoming an issue.

While a release would be understandable given Penix’s presence for the long term, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot indicated last month the team would be willing to keep Cousins in the fold as a (rather expensive) backup. The latter’s $27.5MM base salary for next season is guaranteed in full, and a $10MM roster bonus for 2026 will vest early in the new league year if he remains in Atlanta. Given the compensation he is owed, a trade allowing Cousins a fresh start would come as a surprise.

For now, it remains to be seen how Atlanta will proceed on the Cousins front. Even if he finds himself a free agent once again in the near future, though, retirement will not be considered based on his comments.

Falcons GM: Team Fine Keeping Kirk Cousins As Backup

January 9th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

After the Falcons benched a struggling Kirk Cousins, the expectation has been for a release to commence. Cousins does not look to have a route back to Atlanta’s starting job, especially after No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. showed promise in his three starts.

A release will remain the expectation, but Terry Fontenot attempted to craft an alternative solution — one that may not be taken at face value. The fifth-year Falcons GM said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) the team would be fine keeping Cousins as its backup.

Fontenot, who has survived in his post despite four straight losing seasons, oversaw a widely criticized plan that featured the Falcons both giving Cousins $90MM guaranteed at signing and then drafting Penix in the top 10 six-plus weeks later. This historically unusual route led to a benching after 14 games, with Cousins not showing the form that had made him a steady option in Minnesota. This led to retirement rumors, but the 36-year-old passer will aim to play in 2025.

Players in Cousins’ contractual neighborhood are not backups, as the immobile QB will be due a $27.5MM base salary in 2025. No quarterback with a salary north of $12.5MM is a current backup. Cousins is due to count $40MM against the Falcons’ cap this year. The Falcons keeping the 13-year veteran would also leave them on the hook for an additional $10MM guaranteed, due March 17. The Falcons also included a no-trade clause in Cousins’ contract, which all but ensures he will hit free agency.

The team will almost certainly look to escape that final payment by designating the QB as a post-June 1 cut. That measure would split a monster dead money bill over two offseasons, helping the Falcons after their 2024 mistake. The $65MM penalty would check in second all time — by a substantial margin — in terms of a single-player dead money hit. Russell Wilson still leads the way, with part two of his $83MM-plus dead money charge set to hit the Broncos’ payroll soon.

Any hopes the Falcons would have in trading Cousins’ $27.5MM salary would need to involve the NFC South club paying most of it to facilitate a deal. Given Cousins’ concerning play before his benching, the Falcons will have a near-impossible task of convincing a team to take on the contract. Though, this year is not on track to feature a promising QB market — either in free agency or the draft. This would help explain why the Falcons will attempt to dangle their sunk cost a bit longer.

Cousins cannot be cut until after Super Bowl LIX, and no post-June 1 releases can take place until the start of the 2025 league year (March 12). This gives Atlanta some time, even though the odds are against a trade coming to pass.

Cousins did elevate Atlanta’s passing attack compared to where it was with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, but a difficult late-season stretch prompted Raheem Morris to bench a player the team hoped would start for two seasons. That was the party line, anyway. In reality, top-10 QB investments do not sit for two years. Penix will now have a full offseason to develop as a starter, with Cousins likely to hit free agency for a third time.

Kirk Cousins Intends To Play In 2025

January 6th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Sam Robinson

Kirk Cousins‘ days of maneuvering his way into windfall contracts are almost definitely over, as the Falcons came to regret the deal they authorized in March. Michael Penix Jr. replaced Cousins late in the season, leading to rumors of the veteran quarterback contemplating retirement.

The deliberation looks to have produced an answer. Cousins is aiming to continue his career next season, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson notes. This effort will, of course, be centered around landing with a fourth NFL team. The Falcons are expected to release the longtime starter, a move that will come sign significant dead money.

Atlanta guaranteed Cousins $90MM at signing, which will make a release painful. A 2025 cut will carry a $65MM dead money hit, one that will undoubtedly be spread out over two offseasons via a post-June 1 designation. The Cousins release, even in a world in which the Jets cut Aaron Rodgers, would rank second in NFL history for dead money (behind the Broncos’ Russell Wilson cut). If/once Atlanta designates Cousins a post-June 1 release at the start of the 2025 league year, a $40MM 2025 cap hit would hit the books. As Penix will have a full offseason to prep as the Falcons’ starter, his short-lived mentor will look elsewhere.

The Falcons had long planned to use Cousins as their starter for two seasons, but their top-10 Penix investment interfered with that reality from the start. As it turned out, the team pulled the trigger late in Year 1. Penix will enter the offseason as Atlanta’s unquestioned starter.

Cousins’ concerning 2024 form will drastically alter his market, though a degree of interest should still emerge. This may not be a good year to need a quarterback. The 2025 QB draft class is not viewed as a group on the level of the past two crops, and the Vikings could take Sam Darnold off the market via the franchise tag. The likes of Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Daniel Jones would move up the free agency board in that event. Rodgers has not decided on playing in 2025; that will also be a variable that affects Cousins. The Steelers’ late-season swoon also stands to affect Wilson’s market, as the 36-year-old may not be too far north of where Cousins checks in financially come March.

The supply-and-demand issue at QB should still generate interest in Cousins, who turned 36 just before this season. Teams who will find themselves unable to land Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward will need to look into bridge options. Cousins carried strong enough value in 2024 he was seemingly able to avoid a bridge scenario — or, so he believed at the time of signing — but nothing in the realm of a four-year, $180MM contract is coming. It will, then, be interesting to see what kind of numbers the 10-year NFL starter commands.

Cousins led the NFL with 16 interceptions, despite being benched after 14 games. He did elevate the Falcons’ passing attack compared to where it was with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, helping the team to seven wins while averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. Now being nearly 18 months removed from the October 2023 Achilles tear also would stand to help the immobile vet, but his 2024 form will still factor prominently into his market.

Falcons Believed Michael Penix Jr. Could Start In Week 1; Kirk Cousins To Ponder Retirement?

December 22nd, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Rory Parks

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. will make the first start of his professional career today following Atlanta’s momentous (but obvious) decision to bench veteran Kirk Cousins in favor of the rookie passer. While Cousins — who had signed a four-year, $180MM deal this offseason to help lead the club on a championship run — was obviously given a long leash, the Falcons believed Penix was ready to take the reins from the jump.

As SI.com’s Albert Breer said during an interview on last week’s TNF Tonight program, Atlanta would have been comfortable starting Penix in Week 1 if necessary (video link). The Washington standout played collegiately for six years, and even when Cousins was at the top of the depth chart, Penix was getting about 10 first-team reps per week while seeing plenty of action with the scout team.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds further context, writing that Penix had the same listening device in his helmet as Cousins during practice and would watch film of what Cousins did and then go through it mentally himself before running the same plays with the club’s young receivers. Rapoport also noted that, each practice, there was a competitive period in which Penix would have the opportunity to run the Falcons’ plays instead of scout-team plays. Those opportunities could be the same first-team reps that Breer referenced, but in any event, Atlanta has long believed that Penix is physically and mentally prepared to assume QB1 duties.

Of course, his arm strength and running ability should also open up the playbook. Breer observes that Cousins hurt his shoulder and elbow during a Week 10 loss to the Saints, and that the veteran signal-caller had not been the same since. Indeed, prior to that New Orleans contest, Cousins was coming off a two-game stretch in which he threw for seven TDs and no interceptions while posting QB ratings of 145.9 and 144.8. But in the next five games, he threw just one touchdown against nine interceptions, and his physical ailments limited the Falcons from a play-calling standpoint.

There will be no such limitation with Penix at the controls, and the expectation is that Cousins will be released in the offseason. Rapoport acknowledges that a release is generally viewed as the most likely outcome, but he does leave open the possibility that the Falcons could retain Cousins as a high-end backup/insurance policy since they are obligated to pay his fully-guaranteed $27.5MM 2025 salary anyway (and since Penix will still be on his affordable rookie deal).

The bigger issue, at least from a financial perspective, would be the $10MM roster bonus for 2026 that locks in if Cousins is still on the roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year in March. Still, a Cousins return remains on the table and is more plausible than a trade. The four-time Pro Bowler has a full no-trade clause, and since he is much more valuable to another team as a free agent who could be had for a veteran minimum deal than a trade candidate, he is not expected to waive the NTC (his situation is similar to Russell Wilson’s, who was able to sign with the Steelers for the veteran minimum following his Broncos release this offseason since Denver was on the hook for his 2024 pay).

Cousins may, however, contemplate retirement. He will turn 37 before the 2025 season begins, and Rapoport says Cousins is expected to take a month or so after the current campaign is over to consider his playing future. He would be walking away from a large sum of money if he were to call it a career, but the master of negotiation has already earned just shy of $300MM from his NFL contracts.

Falcons Expected To Release Kirk Cousins This Offseason

December 21st, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Kirk Cousins‘ stint in Atlanta will likely last one season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there’s an expectation that the Falcons will cut the veteran quarterback before he’s owed his $10MM roster bonus in mid-March. Some sources described the impending divorce as “inevitable.”

The Falcons made one of the biggest moves of this past offseason when they inked the free agent QB to a four-year, $180MM deal. A month later, the organization shocked the league when they added another quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth-overall pick. Cousins was naturally given the first shot to run with the job, but he’s struggled mightily over the past month-plus. Since Week 10, Cousins has tossed only one touchdown vs. nine interceptions, and the team finally announced that they were pivoting to their rookie for Week 16.

By shifting Penix to the top of the depth chart, the Falcons signaled that Cousins probably wouldn’t be on the roster for the 2025 campaign. While cutting the veteran isn’t the team’s only option, it seems like the most likely. As Schefter notes, there’s a belief that the Falcons wouldn’t be able to find a trade suitor for their recent acquisition.

Cousins has a no-trade clause, and assuming he’s not particularly happy with how things have played out in Atlanta, it’s understood that the QB won’t “be doing any favors” for the Falcons by waiving that NTC. Indeed, some sources believe Cousins may have been more willing to work with the Falcons front office on a trade had the organization handled things differently this past offseason (per Schefter). Cousins reportedly had no idea that the Falcons would use the eighth-overall pick on a QB until they called Cousins on draft night, and while the free agent prize has remained professional, his camp clearly wasn’t happy with the team’s draft-night approach.

Cousins will be locked into his fully guaranteed 2025 $27.5MM salary regardless of his roster status in Atlanta. So, when he’s eventually released, he can catch on with another squad for the minimum (while making the Falcons pick up most of the tab on his 2025 earnings). We saw a similar scenario play out last offseason with Russell Wilson. Greg Auman of FOX Sports notes that the Falcons could attempt to convert some of his salary into a bonus, making a trade more palatable. Still, that route would require Cousins to work with the Falcons, and even then, it’s uncertain if a suitor would emerge despite a lower hypothetical financial commitment.

The Falcons could also simply keep Cousins on the roster for the 2025 campaign. As a Falcons official noted to Schefter, Penix’s $5.2MM salary number for the 2025 campaign does provide the front office with some flexibility. However, considering how things have developed with the veteran, it seems unlikely that the Falcons would willingly set up a QB competition.

If the Falcons are hoping to avoid that $10MM guarantee, Auman believes the organization probably won’t dress Cousins for the stretch run as they look to avoid an injury. So, in all likelihood, Cousins has already made his final appearance with the Falcons organization. As ESPN’s Field Yates notes, the veteran will ultimately earn nearly $90M in cash for just 14 starts. In his comeback from a torn Achilles, Cousins connected on 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a league-leading 16 interceptions.

Despite the worrisome drop in production, Cousins will likely be one of the biggest names on the free agent market for a second-straight offseason. With the likes of Sam Darnold and Wilson currently sitting atop the anticipated QB class, Cousins shouldn’t struggled to find a suitor…especially when you consider that his next squad won’t have to break the bank to sign him to a one-year pact.

Raheem Morris, Kirk Cousins Address Falcons’ QB Switch

December 20th, 2024 at 9:53am CST by Adam La Rose

Once the Falcons selected Michael Penix eighth overall during April’s draft, questions were raised about the possibility he would take over from free agent addition Kirk Cousins earlier than the team anticipated. That has proven to be the case over the closing weeks of the campaign.

Cousins has struggled mightily in recent weeks, throwing one touchdown and nine interceptions over the past five contests. The Falcons are still in contention for a postseason berth at 7-7, but Penix will get the nod for Week 16 against the Giants. Benching Cousins this early into his Atlanta tenure comes as a surprise given the team’s financial investment made this spring, something head coach Raheem Morris conceded when addressing the decision.

“We were playing extremely well,” Morris said, via Amos Morale III and Josh Kendall of The Athletic (subscription required). “So I’d be telling you a story if I didn’t tell you I was surprised right now how the last couple of weeks have gone and how we haven’t been able to turn around and play a little bit better at the position in order to keep things going how we had.”

Cousins had a relatively strong start to the year, and the Falcons appeared to be on track to win the NFC South with a 6-3 record after Week 9. A four-game losing streak followed, however, and Monday’s narrow win over the Raiders did not quell concerns about the team’s direction late in the year. Now, Penix will be tasked with stabilizing the QB position down the stretch as the Falcons weigh their future with Cousins.

The 36-year-old was the top quarterback on the market this past spring despite his Vikings tenure ending with a torn Achilles. Cousins landed a four-year, $160MM pact in free agency to head to Atlanta, a deal which appeared to offer a short-term solution under center. To his surprise (and that of many other observers), the Falcons followed that deal by using their top selection on Penix and thus adding an eventual Cousins successor. Owner Arthur Blank had a role in the Penix choice, and Morris added he was also “involved” in the decision to insert Penix into the lineup.

“I would agree with [Morris], it probably ultimately was the turnovers,” Cousins said when reflecting on his benching (via the team’s website). “That’s such a key thing in winning and losing in the NFL.”

Cousins added he “didn’t forget how to play quarterback,” but for at least the time being he is not in position to operate as Atlanta’s starter. The first two seasons of his deal include fully guaranteed salaries, so the four-time Pro Bowler should remain in Atlanta for 2025 at a minimum. Given the decision to turn to Penix already, though, it remains to be seen what role Cousins will have for that year.

Falcons To Bench Kirk Cousins, Start Michael Penix In Week 16

December 17th, 2024 at 10:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Falcons are expected to bench veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix for their Week 16 matchup with the Giants, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris released a statement confirming the switch under center: “After review we have made the decision Michael Penix will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward. This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”

Cousins has struggled in recent weeks, throwing nine interceptions and just one touchdown since Week 10. That culminated in another rough game against the Raiders on Monday Night Football in Week 15 in which the veteran signal-caller completed just 11 of his 17 passing attempts for 112 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Reporters then asked Morris about Cousins’ level of play after Monday night’s game.

“He’s got to play better,” Morris said, via ProFootball Talk’s Mike Florio. “We’ve got to find a way to get him to play better.”

Morris was then asked about the possibility of replacing Cousins with Penix, the eighth overall pick in this past April’s draft. Morris’ answer fueled speculation that he was considering such a move: “We’ve got everybody on our roster for a reason, right?…Those things will always be discussed. That’s just the nature of the beast in football. It’s just so heavily talked about at the quarterback position because there’s only one guy out there.”

The same questions resurfaced during Morris’ Tuesday presser. His non-answer hinted that his staff was already thinking about benching Cousins. This marks the second time in three years the Falcons have benched their starting quarterback in December. Their decision to park Marcus Mariota late in his first season with the team effectively led the former No. 2 overall pick away. The team’s ensuing Desmond Ridder plan failing keyed the Cousins-Penix offseason.

“We still have to go through that process,” Morris said (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic). “All those things will happen over the course of the week. We didn’t play well enough at the quarterback position.”

Now, Penix will make his first NFL start at a crucial time for the 7-7 Falcons. They trail the Buccaneers by one game in the NFC South and are two games back of the Commanders for the NFC’s last wild card spot. Atlanta’s front office drew criticism for using a top-10 pick on Penix just a month after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180MM contract in free agency, but the gamble might pay off if the rookie can lead the team to the playoffs.

Penix has only thrown five passes across two garbage-time appearances this season, but he has been “doing well behind the scenes,” according to Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan. The former Washington Husky led the NCAA with 4,903 passing yards (and 11 interceptions) in his last season, earning the Maxwell Award and a second-place finish for the Heisman Trophy. Penix will be the sixth of 11 quarterbacks selected in the 2024 draft to start at least one game as a rookie.

The Falcons drafted Penix as the future of their franchise, but he will be taking over for Cousins far earlier than expected. Cousins’ contract included fully guaranteed salaries in 2024 and 2025, indicating that he would have at least two years as the team’s starter. Arthur Blank had said the team did not necessarily plan to draft Penix at No. 8, but the team’s football ops department viewed Penix as too good to pass up — despite the standout college passer not being mocked that high for the most part — at that point of the draft.

Cousins expressed shock, joining most of the football-following population, when the Falcons pulled the trigger and drafted Penix eighth overall. The Falcons were later docked a fifth-round pick for tampering in signing the former Washington and Minnesota starter. Months later, his future in Atlanta is in doubt.

The Falcons will have to navigate Cousins’ sizable contract if they want to move on from him this offseason. Cutting him outright before June 1 would force the team to absorb the remaining $65MM of Cousins’ guaranteed money as a dead cap hit in 2025, per OverTheCap. That would be the largest single-season dead cap hit in NFL history, surpassing the $53MM the Broncos took on this year after cutting Russell Wilson.

A post-June 1 release would allow the Falcons to spread out the dead money with $40MM in 2025 and $25MM in 2026. A trade, even for minimal draft compensation, would be the most efficient option; the Falcons could transfer Cousins’ $27.5MM fully guaranteed base salary in 2025 to the acquiring team while accepting the remaining $37.5MM of his prorated signing bonus as a dead cap hit.

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