5 realistic Atlanta Falcons free agent targets for the 2024 offseason

2. Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

Of the handful of quarterbacks the Falcons could realistically acquire in free agency, you would have to put Kirk Cousins at the very top of the list. The perennial Pro Bowl passer of the Minnesota Vikings is coming off a serious injury and is closer to 40 than he is to 30. He may be an overpriced player at this point of his career, but no quarterback out there can distribute to Atlanta's weapons like he can.

Cousins already knows Raheem Morris from their time together in Washington. Although he was more of a Kyle Shanahan guy than anything while playing there, Sean McVay was also on that staff in D.C. Therefore, I think the verbiage will be very similar in Atlanta compared to what he ran in Washington for years, as well as what he is running in Minnesota these days. The fit feels seamless.

Besides obvious fit, there is another thing working for Cousins possibly coming to Atlanta: His wife is from Alpharetta and graduated from the University of Georgia. For 14 years, we saw Matt Ryan carve up defenses in a vaunted aerial attack in Atlanta. With the right cast around him, Cousins could do that in Atlanta to close out his Hall of Very Good career. Plus, he is an upgrade over Desmond Ridder.

While Baker Mayfield could be the better option, Cousins feels like a more sure thing for the Falcons.