There are so many reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls in their history and the Atlanta Falcons have won precisely zero. Ownership is probably at the root of it, but coaching is a close second. At a not-so-distant third, it might be their respective front offices. The Steelers often find hidden gems in the NFL Draft and in free agency, while Atlanta targets busts and gross overpays.
While there may have been some method to the madness when it came to Terry Fontenot signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. in the same offseason, only for Raheem Morris to bench Cousins 14 games in, a team like Pittsburgh is about to take advantage of the Falcons' latest blunder. I mean, they already did it when it came to the Denver Broncos' Russell Wilson debacle previously.
What I am getting at is that Atlanta will probably cut Cousins before the middle of March, and then go forward completely with Penix. The Falcons will be on the hook for nearly all of Cousins' 2025 NFL season, much like the Broncos were for Wilson's salary this season. The Steelers also traded for Justin Fields in a deal with the Chicago Bears to have some insurance in case Wilson totally bombed.
Let me explain why I think the Steelers might actually be a serious contender to sign Cousins in 2025.
Why the Pittsburgh Steelers might actually end up signing Kirk Cousins
What you have to remember about the Steelers is Fields and Wilson are playing on expiring contracts. The Steelers will have to pay big money to at least one of them to get them to stay. The last time somebody gave Wilson big money was the Broncos and they got smoked! Fields may want a real opportunity to start, while Wilson probably wants one last cash grab before he totally falls off a cliff.
By letting the Falcons cut Cousins, the Steelers would only be on the hook for around the veteran's minimum, with Atlanta eating the rest of his 2025 salary. Pittsburgh could then use the money they would have spent on a quarterback on filling out the roster around Cousins. He would be another year removed from having surgery to repair his torn Achilles. That is when your athleticism starts to return.
So in theory, Cousins would be going to a team with a strong defensive-minded culture and would be playing in an offense that loves to pound the rock. Coordinating that offense would be former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. Because he likes to have his quarterbacks be under center more, that would serve Cousins a bit more than trying to 11 personnel a defense to death under Zac Robinson.
The other part of the equation is figuring out who would be the Steelers' 2025 equivalent of Fields. They could try to trade for a stop-gap starter trying to be more than that still on his rookie contract. Better yet, they could just draft someone in the 20s like a Jalen Milroe, a Carson Beck or a Quinn Ewers and just be patient. Eventually, they would beat out Cousins, but maybe not right away either.
Ultimately, wherever Cousins ends up would only be a temporary landing spot for him. His proclivity to turn the football over while coming off a serious injury and pushing 40 makes him a declining player in the sport. However, a team with a well-entrenched identity like Pittsburgh might be able to get the most out of his Hall of Very Good talent. Pittsburgh would win a ton of games with Cousins.
It would absolutely pain people from Atlanta if Cousins and Beck won a Super Bowl with Arthur Smith.