Kirk Cousins was one of the first big dominoes to fall during last year’s free agency cycle. He signed a massive four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, despite being 35 at the time and coming off a torn Achilles. He looked solid as the Falcons jumped out to a 6-3 record, but then the bottom fell out without warning. In Weeks 8 and 9, Atlanta averaged 29 points while Cousins threw seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.
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Cousins would go on to post a 1-9 TD-INT ratio over the next five weeks as the Falcons dropped four of five. He was then benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. The writing seemed to be on the wall. But when the 2025 free agent frenzy came and went without so much as a rumor of a Cousins trade, it appeared he might remain in Atlanta for the 2025 campaign. Now, new developments suggest that it might not be the case anymore.
League sources have reported that, despite claims to the contrary, Atlanta has been in contact with other teams about a Kirk Cousins trade ahead of the draft. Several teams have reopened their doors on the Cousins question as well, but “depending on their draft outcomes.”
Two teams reportedly in the mix to sign Cousins are the QB-less Pittsburgh Steelers and his last team before his Atlanta move, the Minnesota Vikings. But there’s a catch.
“Sources believe teams like the Minnesota Vikings or Pittsburgh Steelers might be willing to pay approximately $10 million of Cousins’ guarantees, though not the full $20 million Atlanta has requested,” as per RealGM.
The crux of the negotiations is, of course, the compensation coming back to the Falcons. Ideally, a deal would involve a combination of draft capital and the absorption of a portion of Cousins’ remaining salary. Atlanta reportedly wants teams to take on at least $20 million of the $45 million still owed to Cousins, which has been a sticking point for potential trade partners.
“According to league sources, Atlanta has requested that any team acquiring Cousins absorb $20 million of the $45 million in remaining guaranteed money on his contract, a figure that has deterred serious offers thus far.”
The Falcons have stated that they are willing to deal on a sliding scale, “where higher financial relief would result in lower draft pick compensation, and vice versa.”
That said, the fact that there is even a trade on the table after the way Cousins’ season ended in 2024 is a miracle. As one Redditor put it, “Falcons front office gotta be the biggest bunch of stupids OR Kirk’s agent is the fucking man. Maybe both.”
A Falcons fan chimed in with confirmation, saying, “Our front office is definitely stupid.” Another agreed that it was likely both, but that Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, deserved a lot of credit: “It’s a pretty standard MO for our front office, I would say both considering Kirk’s contract history. Dude always gets paid.”
Another fan pointed out how confident Falcons GM Terry Fontenot seemed when he used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Penix after signing Cousins for nearly $200 million: “I remember seeing the interview with the falcons GM after the draft when they were asking about this situation and the dude seemed like he thought he was the smartest guy in the room for this decision. It was dumb.”
Comment
byu/mastermind208 from discussion
innfl
If a trade were to go through, the Steelers would seem to be the likely choice. The Vikings would probably only bring Kirk back if it meant he was okay for him to work out behind J.J. McCarthy as a backup and mentor. And you don’t pay $20 million for that.
From Pittsburgh’s perspective, Cousins is likely a Plan E if their Plans C and D don’t work out, to either sign Aaron Rodgers or select a top QB like Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
