The Atlanta Falcons still have Kirk Cousins on their roster.
That's not to say the 36-year old couldn't be traded or released before the season starts, but for now, he's a very expensive backup QB to Michael Penix Jr.
And the reason the Falcons kept Cousins, at least in part, is rather silly.
ESPN's Dan Graziano used one word to describe it: "Stubbornness."
That's a great way to run an NFL team, huh?
"They signed Cousins for $100 million in guaranteed money 14 months ago, and team ownership wasn't thrilled about the idea of releasing him after doling out all that money for 14 not-so-great games in 2024," Graziano writes. "And when it came time to talk trade, the Falcons were asking interested teams to pay a significant portion of that remaining $37.5 million in guaranteed money. That meant those teams weren't offering the Falcons a return that Atlanta deemed worthwhile."
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Cousins has been linked to Pittsburgh as an Aaron Rodgers alternative, and he was previously linked to Minnesota before they traded for the younger Sam Howell instead to back up J.J. McCarthy.
There aren't a ton of other places for Cousins to end up, unless the Saints want to give him a whirl.
"The Falcons maintain that they're comfortable with Cousins as a $27.5 million backup," Graziano wrote. "Sure, his salary cap number is $40 million, but Penix's is only $5.2 million. If you add those two figures together, it's not a ridiculous amount to allocate to the most important position. Cousins could still end up traded before the season. If Aaron Rodgers decides he doesn't want to play for the Steelers, Pittsburgh could get interested. If another team's starter gets hurt in minicamp or training camp, a fresh market could emerge. But given the way the offseason has gone, it's probably time we took the Falcons at their word when they say they're fine keeping Cousins as the backup in 2025."
The Falcons also don't have any incentive to be bad in 2025 since they traded away their next first-round pick, so Cousins could come in especially handy if Penix were to get hurt or struggle.
Right now, though, he's a pricy second-stringer.
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