Why Did Kirk Cousins Miss Day One of Falcons OTAs? NFL Insider Ian Rapoport Explains

With the Atlanta Falcons beginning their OTAs on Tuesday, quarterback Kirk Cousins was not present. Cousins has participated in offseason aspects of the team’s voluntary programs but wasn’t present at the start of OTAs.

The Falcons acquired Cousins in free agency last off-season and then benched him towards the end of the 2024-2025 season for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Could he be sending a message that he wants to play elsewhere in 2025 and wants a trade? A lot of people think so. 

Speaking about the situation on NFL Network, insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Judy Bautista spoke about the ‘awkward’ position Cousins is in. The team paid him $180 million to be their starting quarterback just a year ago, but are committed to having him as their backup to Penix Jr. 

“This was always going to be awkward, whether Cousins showed up for conditioning, whether he doesn’t for OTAs, it’s always going to be weird,” said Rapoport. 

Rapoport then suggested that it would make the most sense from a salary cap standpoint for the Falcons to trade Cousins instead of cutting him and letting him freely choose to sign elsewhere. The fact that they’re safe with him being their backup suggests they’re not looking to trade him. Rapoport even predicted that Cousins would be their backup this season. 

Judy Bautista thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers is perfect for Kirk Cousins 

With many teams having their franchise quarterbacks/starting quarterback situations figured out, there aren’t many teams that would be interested in acquiring Kirk Cousins at this stage in the off-season.  

However, NFL insider Judy Bautista, thinks that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be a good landing spot for Cousins. She noted that if things fall through with Aaron Rodgers, they could turn to Cousins as a solid back up option. 

“The only team left out there that doesn’t have at least the people in the building that they want competing for a starting job is the Pittsburgh Steelers,” said Bautista. “We know their situation; they are waiting on Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers would be a fine landing point for Kirk Cousins, and he would be a very good fallback plan in case something falls through with Aaron Rodgers.” 

Cousins is in a weird position. First, it was odd to see the Falcons give him a $180 million contract after tearing his Achilles tendon the season before. They showed faith in his ability to lead the team to the playoffs with the contract but showed otherwise when they benched him for the Falcons’ final three games of last season. 

If Cousins serves as Atlanta’s backup, he will be one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL. The Falcons could lean on Cousins if Penix Jr. gets hurt or underperforms. Do you think Cousins will serve as a backup this season, or do you think he gets traded elsewhere with a chance to start?