Kirk Cousins just had his Falcons fate sealed by an unheralded backup

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback situation is an intriguing one. Last season, Kirk Cousins was the guy until rookie Michael Penix Jr. proved the team probably doesn't need to lean on the 36-year-old much anymore.

On Friday, Cousins looked on as yet another younger passer appeared to show the Falcons coaching staff, even his backup job could be in jeopardy.

Easton Stick, a 29-year-old veteran out of North Dakota State, put up an impressive stat line against the Detroit Lions. He completed 15 of his 18 attempts for 149 yards and a touchdown before the 17-10 contest was suspended due to a player being seriously injured.

Could Kirk Cousins be expendable in Atlanta?

While Stick is no Shedeur Sanders, the depth chart surprise everyone seems to be talking about right now, he's a serviceable arm that could be a serious threat to Cousins' career.

Stick played two NFL seasons (2020 and 2023) with the Los Angeles Chargers. He's only seen the field in six total games but he displayed promise when he took over for an injured Justin Herbert two years ago. His 1,129 yards and three touchdowns aren't something to sniff at.

Cousins knows he's nearing the end, no matter how much he wants to deny it publicly. He's entering the second season of a four-year, $180 million deal that the Falcons are not going to want to have to see the end of, if they can help it. Stick's performance on Friday just made cutting Cousins loose before then a higher priority than before.

Penix is clearly the future for the Falcons and Stick may not even be the future of their backups beyond this season, but the proof of concept is enough to have the team begin considering moving on from Cousins. They could try to trade him but that's unlikely unless there's some serious injury bug that goes around the league.

Whatever solution Atlanta comes up with, it's got to end with Kirk Cousins outside Mercedes Benz Stadium sooner rather than later.