The Atlanta Falcons are rostering a highly-paid, aging quarterback who was benched for poor play last season while recovering from an Achilles injury. But for some reason, the team isn’t all that motivated to move him. The Falcons have not been engaging in trade talks for Kirk Cousins this offseason despite several teams being in desperate need of a veteran passer.
Cousins’ name recently surfaced in preliminary trade inquiries, according to Josina Anderson on X. “I heard talk of a 3rd-round pick being potentially actionable,” Anderson wrote.
While a third-round draft pick would be an incredible return for Cousins, considering his ugly 2024 season and enormous salary, the Falcons seem content to keep him as a backup to Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta benched Cousins in favor of Penix in Week 15 after handing him a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million fully guaranteed prior to the season.
Can the Falcons trade Kirk Cousins?
Cousins wants to leave Atlanta and start elsewhere this season. The two sides had a meeting about Cousins’ future where the veteran passer made his desire clear to the team. But still, the Falcons are in no hurry to move on from the quarterback.
It would be understandable if Atlanta was balking at the notion of having to eat a chunk of Cousins’ salary to move him to a new team. But the lack of interest in exploring a trade is odd. The Cleveland Browns could be an option. They badly need a QB after Deshaun Watson’s Achilles recovery setback and the Browns are familiar with ridiculous overpays.
So far Cleveland added Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Eagles but has otherwise remained quiet, fueling speculation that the team will draft a quarterback with the second overall pick in the upcoming draft.
The Tennessee Titans have the top pick in the 2025 draft. And it now seems likely that they’ll select Cam Ward first overall. The Titans would like to trade Will Levis and move forward with a rookie passer. If Tennessee grabs Ward, the Browns would have a difficult Shedeur Sanders decision on their hands.
Would Cleveland be better off with Sanders or Cousins? Would Cousins want to play for the Browns? Does any of this matter if the Falcons won’t trade him?
Most recently the Minnesota Vikings were insinuated in the Cousins rumor mill. Adam Schefter suggested the Vikings trade for Cousins to back up J.J. McCarthy. Cousins may not want to go to another backup role but if he feels comfortable in Minnesota – and the Vikings are willing to trade for him – perhaps the Falcons would take that call.
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