Winners and losers of Kirk Cousins signing with the Atlanta Falcons
- Kirk Cousins will now be playing for his third NFC team in his illustrious career.
- He is expected to close out his career with the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year deal.
- Here are the biggest winners and losers from the massive free agency signing.
By John Buhler
Loser: Desmond Ridder
The biggest loser still on the Atlanta Falcons after this signing has to be third-year pro quarterback Desmond Ridder. At the halfway point of his rookie contract out of Cincinnati, it is starting to feel like it is over for him in Atlanta. While he can still be a find quarterback in this league, he is going to have to be a backup for the time being. Although Terry Fontenot did draft him, Ridder is now a trade target.
Even if Taylor Heinicke is still under contract, he might be better equipped to run Zac Robinson's offense as the backup over Ridder. One of the two players will either be released or traded. Since Ridder is not making much, it probably will be Heinicke, but he is already one of the better backups in the game today. As for Ridder, he probably needs to learn as much as he can with Cousins in-house.
Ridder's athleticism and leadership got him drafted. Though he is still a likable guy in the locker room, his inherent recklessness got him in trouble in his first full year as the starter last year. He should have been allowed to start all of his rookie season in 2022. Instead, we didn't find out that he was not the guy for the Falcons until around Thanksgiving this past year. This has to be a rough day for him today.
I think he will be Cousins' backup this year, but Ridder is gone after the 2025 NFL season for certain.