It’s incredibly common for free-agency pickups to crash and burn, but it’s incredibly rare to see a team pay a quarterback $40 million per year and have the signing unravel this fast. This is exactly what happened to Kirk Cousins after signing with the Atlanta Falcons, and he didn’t even last one full season as the starter on said deal.
Even Daniel Jones found himself on a longer leash in New York, and even at his current age Cousins is probably twice as productive as “Danny Dimes” ever was. It was bizarre that when trade interest was at its supposed peak, Terry Fontenot opted to keep the Michigan State product to back up Michael Penix Jr in case things go awry.
And with Week 1 rapidly approaching, Cousins remains a Falcon. However, Yardbarker’s Clark Dalton believes that a change of scenery is needed sooner rather than later for the four-time Pro Bowl signal-caller.
Kirk Cousins needs to get out of Atlanta as soon as possible
Coming off a torn Achilles suffered in 2023, the 37-year-old threw a career-high 16 interceptions in 2024 and remains no more than a viable bridge starter at this stage of his career. Barring injury for Atlanta’s new QB1, there’s no clear path for Cousins to see meaningful snaps. Penix Jr has all the organizational backing, the playmakers, and the coaching staff’s commitment.
“After taking Penix with the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Falcons are clearly banking on him being the guy,” Dalton wrote. “Unless he flops in 2025, Atlanta’s not planning on turning back to Cousins.”
Despite playing with a strong group of weapons in 2024 and throwing for over 500 yards against the Buccaneers on primetime, it was clear the Illinois native had lost a step. But this doesn’t mean he’s an incapable starter.
Dalton pointed to his expensive cap hit as a reason the Falcons could trade him but it could also make facilitating a trade difficult. Despite that hurdle, he mentioned the Indianapolis Colts as a potential suitor—whose Week 1 starting quarterback is none other than Jones himself.
From Raheem Morris’ perspective, keeping Cousins around provides short-term security, but it also makes for an awkward dynamic within the QB room. Every time Penix struggles, fans and media alike will wonder if the veteran deserves another shot. That sort of cloud hanging over a rookie quarterback isn’t ideal—especially one who the front office is clearly bought into.
And the longer Cousins holds a clipboard in Atlanta, the greater the risk his career has of stalling.
