While the Atlanta Falcons made the decision to ride with Michael Penix Jr. going forward, the Kirk Cousins situation remains unresolved. Despite the rest of the league believing that the Falcons are bluffing about their desire to make Cousins their backup next season, there has been no indication so far that the team will be moving the 36-year-old QB any time soon.
As many had suspected already, it turns out this is owner Arthur Blank's decision. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said in his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday that the Falcons ownership doesn't want to admit their mistake since they don't have a financial incentive to move him. Fowler's remarks, summarized by Namish Monga of Essentially Sports, suggest that unless a team is willing to cover a significant portion of Cousins' salary, a trade remains unlikely.
"I believe this is an ownership decision in Atlanta. Arthur Blank just paid this guy, and now it’s going to be $100 million in guaranteed money for essentially one year of production and a benching."Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
Fowler added that if a team were to trade a fifth-round pick and cover $20 million of Cousins' contract, the Falcons would obviously accept that offer. As things stand now, however, no team is going to do that.
There is a chance a QB-needy team will get desperate. A team will fail to acquire their preferred QB, or injuries will occur at training camp. In that scenario, Cousins could gain traction in the trade market.
Blank clearly doesn't want to have an egg on his face by paying Cousins $100 million for one season of lackluster production. Instead of admitting his mistake and turning the page over, Blank is digging his heels deeper and making his mistake worse. The Falcons will be at risk of alienating Cousins and being left without a viable backup QB if they have to cut Cousins after failing to find a trade partner.