Even a desperate Falcons team shouldn’t trade Kirk Cousins in-division

When the Atlanta Falcons gave Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million deal in the 2023 offseason, not even the biggest pessimists could have predicted he would be benched after not even a full season. Cousins being as expensive a bench player as he is has the Falcons eager to trade him, and understandably so.

The New Orleans Saints emerged as a possible landing spot for the veteran after Derek Carr's sudden retirement. While it might be tempting to trade Cousins to any team willing to take him, the Falcons should think twice about trading him to an NFC South rival.

If the Falcons were to trade Cousins to New Orleans, a deal would likely have this framework.

The Falcons would have to pay most of the money Cousins is owed and receive little to nothing in return in terms of compensation. It might be tempting to accept any deal involving Cousins that's on the table, but the Falcons are better off saying no, here.

The Falcons are not forced to get rid of Kirk Cousins

In an ideal world, the Falcons would find a Cousins suitor. The 36-year-old having to hold the clipboard this early into his Atlanta tenure is an outcome nobody realistically expected, and is something the Falcons and Cousins presumably want no part of. While keeping Cousins as a backup is less than ideal, the Falcons do not have to trade him.

By keeping him, they'd have an expensive, albeit serviceable, safety net for Penix if he has a sophomore slump or suffers an injury. Cousins immediately slots in as one of the NFL's best backups, even if he was subpar as a starter. By keeping him, the Falcons also avoid any risk of watching him bounce back with a division rival.

If the Falcons were going to get the Saints to eat most of his money, that'd be one thing. If the Falcons were going to get a meaningful return, that'd be another thing. The reality of this situation, though, is that the Falcons would likely have to eat most of the money while getting nothing of value in return. Why is it worth sending him to a division rival if they don't get much of anything trade-wise?

If the Falcons stay put, the Saints will, in all likelihood, be stuck with a quarterback room consisting of Tyler Shough, Jake Haener, and Spencer Rattler. No disrespect to those guys, but that's pretty easily the worst QB room in the NFL. Cousins might not be the Pro Bowler he once was, but he makes the Saints better, and would get two chances to get revenge on Atlanta. That's the last thing the Falcons should want in a year they're all in on winning the division and getting to the playoffs.

Again, in an ideal world, Cousins would get traded. No team wants an expensive backup quarterback. That does not mean that the Falcons are forced to just give him away, though, especially to a division rival. Unless the Saints want to pay financially or with appealing assets, the Falcons should hold onto Cousins before sending him to New Orleans.