The Atlanta Falcons might have benched Kirk Cousins late in the season, but they say they're not necessarily moving on from him.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said the team wouldn't hesitate bringing back Cousins next season as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup quarterback -- even with Cousins' large salary-cap hit in 2025.
"We are very comfortable moving forward with (Cousins) as backup," Fontenot said Thursday. "Kirk is a great man, and he's been great support for Mike. We are very comfortable moving forward with him as the backup."
Is Cousins comfortable with that arrangement? He did not speculate on his future publicly prior to the end of the regular season, which ended with Atlanta missing the playoffs.
Cousins had some high moments in his first season in Atlanta, throwing for 509 yards in an overtime win over the Buccaneers and looking strong during a two-game span later in wins over the Cowboys and Bucs. But he fell hard and fast in his final five starts, throwing one TD and nine interceptions before being benched. Cousins tied for the league lead in interceptions with 16.
Fontenot said they signed Cousins expecting to receive "high-level quarterback play for two years" and admitted that "the plan was for Kirk to play longer and for Mike to sit longer."
Interestingly, the Falcons were not willing to blame Cousins' struggles on the Achilles injury he'd suffered in Minnesota in 2023.
"He wasn't injured. He was healthy," Fontenot said. "The play just wasn't there ... Nobody's happy about that. We're all disappointed."
The Falcons would seemingly have three options with Cousins. They could attempt to trade him. They could keep him on as the No. 2 QB. Or they could simply release him, although Fontenot dismissed reports that this was the Falcons' plan. There's also a fourth scenario: Cousins could opt to retire, turning 37 years old in August.
The trade possibility has a roadblock. Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract, and it's unclear if he'd be willing to waive it to facilitate a deal elsewhere. Asked how a possible trade might work, Fontenot didn't offer many specifics.
"We will take those things as they come," he said. "Everyone would have to be good with it. There's a lot of layers to that."
His contract also is a limiting factor, both for a trade and for being Atlanta's backup. If Cousins returned next season, he'd come with a $40 million cap hit, per Over The Cap.
Even with Penix's rookie contract offering more flexibility, that would be a significant percentage of their total allotment. Yet the Falcons say they've come to terms with the idea of keeping Cousins around next season, even with the sizable sunk cost they've already incurred.
