No matter how you slice it, this all is incredibly disappointing. Kirk Cousins thought he was going to remain a franchise quarterback when he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in NFL free agency last year. Due to poor play down the stretch, as well as the drafting and emergence of Michael Penix Jr., he became yesterday's news. Now Cousins is bitter and the flightless Falcons are left fronting the bill.
With us now several days into the new league year, the $10 million in money for 2026 from a roster bonus became fully guaranteed for Cousins. While Atlanta claims to be comfortable about having him as the highest-paid backup in the league, Cousins wants out and is not going to be a good sport about it. It is why the only way out of this for both parties is by way of a trade before the new season.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, "Atlanta has been getting calls" on Cousins' availability. Anderson reported that there was "talk of a third-round pick being potentially actionable." For as much as I would like to see the Falcons recoup a third-round pick for Cousins, that feels like false hope. If the Falcons can get the fifth-round pick Cousins cost the team for tampering, I will be fine.
For the Falcons to get a third-round pick in return for Cousins, they must front the bulk of his salary.
Evening Notes: The offseason Carousel continues to churn.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 19, 2025
I was just told these two quarterback names came up in recent preliminary* trade inquiries or internal discussions, per a league source: Kirk Cousins and Will Levis.
“Atlanta has been getting calls.”
(I heard talk of a… pic.twitter.com/fxBfHDiada
This is all contingent on the second-year pro Penix blossoming into a superstar this season or next.
Atlanta Falcons have wishful thinking for their Kirk Cousins asking price
As a lifelong fan of this team, I have seen plenty that leads me to believe that the Falcons will end up getting this wrong. They will grossly overvalue the price of their disgruntled asset and will hold onto Cousins for too long. To add insult to injury, watch Cousins end up having two more Pro Bowl seasons quarterbacking the Cleveland Browns this year and next. All the while, the Falcons are paying for him.
Regardless, it is imperative for the Falcons to get him out of their building. He is not going to play nice, as he feels entitled to being a starting quarterback this season. His play down the stretch, whether or not that was a result of a non-disclosed injury, suggests Cousins turned into a rotten pumpkin right after Halloween. Despite all his rage, this Smashing Pumpkin is still a rat in a cage like Billy Corgan.
Ultimately, Terry Fontenot got the Falcons into this mess and he must get them out of it. He survived the coaching regime change from Arthur Smith to Raheem Morris. If Atlanta does not make the playoffs this year, Fontenot may be gone. So might Morris. This team has not made the postseason since Steve Sarkisian threw up all over himself like Kyle Shanahan often does with Fourth and Sark.
Cousins is not the Falcons' biggest problem, but a symptom of the bigger one at hand in Fontenot.