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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.
