It seems that the Kirk Cousins experiment in Atlanta has come to an end. After a 6-3 start that made Cousins a legend in The Big Peach following three 7-10 seasons and several worse, there are only a few options left for him now — either a trade, a cut, or keeping the 36-year-old QB as a backup for rookie Michael Penix Jr.
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Could things get any worse for the veteran QB? Well, according to recent reports, they just might. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that Cousins is planning to take a full month-long break from football. He then aims to get a “physical and mental” reset following the 2024 season to decide what’s next.
“As for Cousins, there has been a lot of speculations about his future there (in Atlanta) — Contractual issues. Could he be traded? Could he be released? I’m told that for Cousins, he’s going to take an entire month away from football. After this season, get a physical and mental reset, and after that month, he will begin to figure out what he will do next,” Florio said (via NFL on NBC).
So, is this how Cousins hangs up his cleats? Not quite. He has already received his $90 million out of $100 million guaranteed, so the remaining $10 million is still in play. It will be due on March 17 of next year.
The Atlanta-Cousins marriage is probably over, but some might argue that the team can keep him around, especially since Penix Jr. has a salary cap hit of just $5.2 million. It would be the best move too, since the team won’t need to go looking for a backup.
However, if the Falcons still decide to cut their losses and part with the former Vikings quarterback, he will just go on to sign with another team for a veteran minimum. This way, he still gets paid by the Falcons, exactly how Russell Wilson is (this year) by the Broncos.
Will Cousins cooperate with the Falcons and give them the trade opportunity they could ask from someone they paid $90 million to, and for just 14 games? Probably not. He was quite unhappy when the team went on to draft Penix Jr. earlier this year, and now, the rookie out of Washington is set to replace him. It’s not what Cousins signed up for, and he will try to get every penny out of this deal, whichever way he can.
