Since he got benched for Michael Penix Jr. late in the 2024 season, Kirk Cousins was expected to be one of the top veteran quarterbacks available in the offseason. However, two days into the new league year, Cousins remains with the Atlanta Falcons, who are not currently looking to trade him.
If Cousins was made available, several teams would be interested, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero. That stipulation remains to be met, as Pelissero noted that the Falcons are not looking to move Cousins unless both sides mutually agree on a prime “opportunity” for the 36-year-old.
“Right now, from everything I’ve heard, the Falcons aren’t really engaging [in trade talks],” Pelissero said on ‘The Rich Eisen Show.’ “They aren’t ready to make a move with Kirk Cousins. Until the Falcons and Cousins agree that there’s an opportunity for him to take — everybody’s got to be on board with it. This could be resolved in a week or in a month from now, depending on how these teams let it play out.”
What should the #Falcons do with Kirk Cousins? Is he available? Will be Atlanta’s backup this season?#NFL #NFLFreeAgency #NFLDraft #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/fRrGFc9Qhz
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 14, 2025
A trade will only occur on Cousins’ terms due to the no-trade clause in his contract. No credible reports have surfaced of Cousins meeting or communicating with any other team to seek a trade.
Pelissero’s report comes one week after Cousins met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Coming out of the meeting, Cousins concluded that the team has no plans to release him. Cutting Cousins before June 1 would force the team to eat over $60 million in dead cap.
Falcons’ quarterback situation amid Kirk Cousins drama
With or without Cousins, the Falcons will begin Week 1 of the 2025 season with Penix as their starting quarterback. Atlanta turned to Penix in Week 16 of his rookie year after Cousins endured a rough five-week stretch that saw him throw just one touchdown to nine interceptions.
In three weeks as the starter, Penix led the Falcons to a 1-2 record with both losses coming in overtime. He averaged 245.7 passing yards per game over the final three weeks of the regular season while completing 58 percent of his passes.
Should Atlanta move Cousins, the only other quarterback on their roster is former UFL alum Emory Jones, who has yet to play an official NFL snap. The Falcons signed Jones at the end of the 2024 regular season and retained him in January with a reserve/future contract.
While no team would want to absorb Cousins’ contract, several are interested in his services. The New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks are among the teams still in search of their next starting quarterback.
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