The Atlanta Falcons have been the subject of scrutiny for the better part of the last two seasons. Whether it was Arthur Smith’s post-game antics against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18 of the 2023 season or the team’s controversial approach to the 2024 NFL Draft, something always seems to be amiss in Atlanta.
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However, nothing has resulted in more criticism than their willingness to sign and retain Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180-million contract. Now that the veteran QB has resigned to his fate as being the number two option behind Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons are officially the owners of the most expensive backup in all of football.
According to the seven-time Sports Emmy Award nominee, Rich Eisen, the entire situation has been mishandled in a way that only the Falcons could have managed. In light of Cousins’ stating that both he and the organization are “moving forward” with the current plan, Eisen believes that the team’s owner, Arthur Blank, got involved somewhere along the way.
“He wants out, but he’s still there… It sounds like Arthur Blank told him, “You’re going nowhere.” That’s what it sounds like. Because he basically said “That’s not the situation that I’m in.” Well, the situation that he’s in is he wants to start somewhere else, exactly what the report asked him. He’s in that situation. He does want to start somewhere else… But he’s like, “That’s not the situation I’m in,” because he’s been told that he’s going nowhere.”
According to Eisen, Cousins is simply refusing to say the quiet part out loud. Once Aaron Rodgers finally signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, that seemingly took away the last viable option for Cousins, leaving him at the mercy of an otherwise uninterested market.
Nevertheless, given the shortage of talented quarterbacks in the league, Eisen can’t find fault with Smith’s perceived decision to keep Cousins around. At this point in time, Eisen is imploring any remaining teams who may be interested to reach out to the veteran signal caller.
“If you want him, come get him. I think he’d be interested, if it’s a spot that he’s interested in. But until then, there’s nothing to talk about. That’s what it sounds like. Can you blame Arthur Smith for holding onto him? He’s paid all of this cash out. The amount of money that he’s owed is far less than what he’s already been paid… But, you just never know in the NFL.”
While the order in which the Falcons handled their quarterback situation is certainly head-scratching, the franchise is remaining steadfast in its decision to pay Cousins an exorbitant amount of money just to hang out on the sidelines. It may be confusing to onlookers, but it also appears as if the market is simply unwilling to accommodate Cousins at this time.
Then again, once we’re in the midst of the season and injuries start to pile up, it’s likely that someone will be in need of a quarterback. Given the current state of things, perhaps it’s best for Cousins to simply wait until October before checking back in on the job market.
