The Atlanta Falcons made one of many boldest strikes of the 2024 NFL offseason by signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in free company with $100 million absolutely assured. The next month, the franchise once more turned heads by drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 general decide within the 2024 NFL Draft.
The choice caught many across the league off guard, however it might have hit Cousins hardest.
What’s Subsequent for Kirk Cousins?
Because the finish of the season, hypothesis has swirled about whether or not Cousins will stay in Atlanta and even be on the roster when coaching camp begins this summer time.
Falcons common supervisor Terry Fontenot addressed the commerce rumors, providing a measured however resolute response throughout an look on Mad Canine Sports activities Radio with host Adam Schein.
“Yeah, Adam, we simply must be affected person there, and we’re all the time open to speaking about not simply Kirk however actually anyone on our roster,” Fontenot stated. “We now have plenty of these calls. I’ve most likely talked to 6 or seven GMs because the draft has ended. They’re speaking about their roster. We’re speaking about our roster as a result of after you get by the draft, that shifts some issues by way of wants and surplus and all that.”
“If one thing involves us, with Kirk or every other participant that is sensible and it will assist this staff, then we’ll be aggressive and we’ll do it.”#Falcons GM Terry Fontenot updates @AdamSchein on the most recent with Kirk Cousins.
🔗 https://t.co/jP0HFpEWEm pic.twitter.com/4GvkiAxecD
— Mad Canine Sports activities Radio (@MadDogRadio) April 29, 2025
Fontenot stopped wanting confirming any commerce talks involving Cousins however didn’t deny his willingness to hearken to overtures across the league.
“We’re all the time affected person with these forms of issues as a result of if one thing involves us with Kirk or every other participant that is sensible and it’s going to assist this staff, then we’re going to be aggressive and we’re going to do it,” Fontenot stated. “If it’s not one thing that may in the end assist this staff, you then all the time must ask the query, ‘Is that this one of the best for the Atlanta Falcons?’ Whether it is we’re going to be prepared to do it. However all that communication is all the time ongoing.”
A yr later, the fallout from the Penix decide stays a sizzling matter in NFL circles. It’s uncommon to see such a big free-agency quarterback funding just for the franchise to draft a rookie who can be anticipated to play instantly on the similar place.
Whereas Cousins has not publicly demanded a commerce, a number of reviews prompt the veteran felt blindsided by the staff’s choice to draft Penix. Cousins was seemingly introduced in as a franchise cornerstone for the Falcons’ rebuild, and the staff’s abrupt shift in path raises questions concerning the veteran’s future in Atlanta.
PFSN at present has Cousins because the Falcons’ QB2 on the depth chart behind Penix. With Fontenot confirming conversations with different GMs are occurring and refusing to commit absolutely to Cousins, it’s truthful to wonder if the veteran quarterback’s days in Atlanta are numbered.
