Falcons “very comfortable” with Kirk Cousins ​​as backup QB

When the Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​as a free agent last March, few thought he would be out of a starting job before the end of his first season in Atlanta, but that’s how things turned out.

Drafting Michael Penix in the first round put a clock on Cousins’ time as a starter and it struck midnight in December amid a streak of poor play from the veteran signal-caller. Penix started the final three games of the regular season and played well enough that there is no reason for the Falcons to consider bringing Cousins ​​back.

On Thursday, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said “the plan was for Kirk to play longer” which was backed up by a contract that guaranteed Cousins ​​$90 million over the first two years. That includes his $27.5 million salary for the 2025 season and another $10 million guaranteed if Cousins ​​is on the roster for five days in the new league. That’s a hefty sum for a player projected to be benched, but Penix is ​​on a rookie deal, and Fontenot said the arrangement works for the team.

“We are very comfortable we’re moving forward with (Cousins) as a backup,” Fontenot said, via Tori McElhaney of the team’s website.

Cousins ​​has said he plans to take about a month after the season to decompress, but there’s little chance he’ll give up that money and his no-trade clause means the Falcons won’t be able to move him unless he clears the next stop. That’s a possibility, along with a full release and Cousins ​​settling into a backup role for the first time since he was in Washington early in his career.