The Atlanta Falcons made the smart move not to play Kirk Cousins in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions on Friday night. But the polarizing quarterback still remains one of the team’s biggest headlines entering the 2025 season.
Cousins was benched last December in favor of Michael Penix Jr., and with the second-year signal caller set to be the starting quarterback, the veteran was left in limbo throughout the offseason. With roughly one month until the Sept. 7 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cousins is set to be a $45 million backup. But another Falcons’ performance suggests they may be OK to swallow their pride and move on.
Corner ball to Chris Blair!@_got11reasons 🔥 FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/MS27xeaWaW
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 9, 2025
Easton Stick’s Preseason Performance Should Make the Falcons Forget About Kirk Cousins
Easton Stick served as the Falcons' starting quarterback on Friday night, and the North Dakota State product left a positive impression. He completed 15 of his 48 passes for 149 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Blair with 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter. He also displayed some athleticism, extending plays and making things happen outside of the pocket.
Of course, these are things that Cousins can’t do. Entering his age-37 season, Cousins is almost two years removed from tearing his Achilles tendon but showed significant limitations in his stint as the Falcons starter. While no one will mistake Cousins for Michael Vick, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson virtually eliminated play-action passes from his playbook because of those limitations, calling it on a 13.6% clip last season.
That tendency didn’t change when Penix moved into the starting lineup with a 12.8% play-action rate over the final three games. But it’s also difficult to change playbooks on the fly. Penix at least has enough to carry out a play-action rate, and Stick had play-action on 18.8% of his dropbacks on Friday night.
The Falcons ideally wouldn’t have to worry about this, but if Penix gets hurt, they may be placing Cousins in a position to fail. In the concept of the Falcons’ staring contest to try and find a trade, this could torpedo his value and force general manager Terry Fontenot to face the obvious and throw in the towel.
Then again, we’ve known this for months. Cousins’ massive contract, which carries cap hits of $40 million this season and $57.5 million next season, is a tough sell for an opposing general manager even if they find themselves in a desperate situation at quarterback. These factors complicate whether Cousins should be traded, but Stick’s performance made it clear that it’s time to move on.