The world has turned and left Kirk Cousins here as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. After getting benched late last season in favor of first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr., Cousins has been trying desperately to find another team that wants him, desperately. NFL free agency and the NFL Draft came and went. Now with Aaron Rodgers set to join the Pittsburgh Steelers next week, what is next?
Pittsburgh sat and waited patiently for Rodgers to come to the realization that he needs to play at least one year for Mike Tomlin on the Steelers. He has not been good in a few years, so best of luck to him in his new Yinzer endeavors. In the meantime, the next quarterback domino to potentially fall is Cousins. Atlanta has said it is comfortable with him being a highly compensated backup this season.
As far as where he could be traded to now, we are really grasping at straws now. At varying points of the offseason, teams like the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and even the New Orleans Saints were tied to him. Unless the Browns do not trust Shedeur Sanders or Cousins really wants to have J.J. McCarthy breathing down his back, I do not see him going to Cleveland or the Vikings this spring.
A lot can happen between the start of the season and now, but Cousins has to swallow his pride first.
At some point, a most obvious trade partner for Cousins will emerge and Atlanta could let him walk.
What comes next for Kirk Cousins now that Aaron Rodgers has signed?
The most logical next step is for Cousins to accept and embrace his new role on his current team. Throughout his playing career, college or pro, Cousins has always been a team player. His path into the NFL was not that of a blue-chip prospect. He earned everything he got after being a fourth-round pick by Washington out of Michigan State back in 2012. It helps him relate to everyone on the team.
His representation may hate this because it takes leverage away from his client, but Cousins should show up to the rest of the Falcons' offseason activities and plan to be the best backup quarterback in the game. Keep in mind that for as much promise as Penix possesses, he only has three career NFL starts under his belt. Furthermore, he was injury-prone when he played for Indiana and Washington.
So what are the Falcons to do? I would roll with three quarterbacks in Penix, Cousins and veteran backup Easton Stick. If the right opportunity presents itself for Cousins to be traded on a whim, Stick will be there to back up Penix. Frankly, I do not want that to happen because that would require somebody to get hurt. Football is a game of injury, so it is bound to happen to some franchise guy.
What I would hope happens is Cousins prepares to be a starter, week in and week out, to help Penix become the best player he can. If Penix becomes a star, then Atlanta can be comfortable enough to move on from Cousins next offseason by way of a trade, or possibly granting him his free agency. Since there is so much at stake this season, I would not make a trade just to make a trade in Atlanta.
Let me put it to you this way. If the Falcons fail to reach the NFC playoffs for the eighth year in a row, how sure are we head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot still have jobs? This team is built to win and take the next step now! Offensively, there is a chance this could be one of the most exciting teams in the NFL. It is why I would try my best to have patience if I were Cousins here.
Falcons should stay patient on Kirk Cousins trade
Overall, Atlanta should only trade Cousins this season if a team loses its starting quarterback to a season-ending injury either in training camp or in the first quarter of the season. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Atlanta could get far more draft capital in return if the right trade partner manifests. Of course, Cousins would have to waive his no-trade clause for any of it to come together.
Ultimately, I am struggling to see any reason why the Falcons would release Cousins from his contract at this time. They will be on the hook for the bulk of his deal anyway. Why let him potentially help another team win for basically free when he can conceivably do the same thing for you in a worst-case scenario? In an ideal world, he helps push Penix to be better, while also raising his game as well.
Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world, which is why we can never leave well enough alone...