Few believed that Kirk Cousins would still be a member of the Atlanta Falcons when they prepared for their first preseason game this summer. But with the opener against the Detroit Lions set for Friday, Cousins is still on the roster and presented Raheem Morris with a decision to make.
Friday’s preseason opener could be a turning point in the Cousins saga if they let him play. After months of trying to facilitate a trade, Cousins could go out against the Lions, tear it up against second teamers and prove that he’s put his 2024 performance in the rearview mirror to force a quarterback-needy team to make a deal.
But it appears the Falcons have made a different decision, which could not only enhance the likelihood of a trade but make a rare smart choice that could finally end the saga with their quarterback.
Kirk Cousins Will Not Play in Falcons Preseason Opener
According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Falcons quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Cousins will not play in Friday’s preseason game against the Lions. Atlanta plans on playing Easton Stick and Emory Jones in Friday’s game instead of their top two quarterbacks, which may mark the smartest decision the Falcons have made regarding Cousins since benching him in Week 16.
Stick and Emory Jones will play at quarterback for the #Falcons on Friday. Penix and Cousins will not play in the exhibition game vs. the #Lions.
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) August 4, 2025
Falcons fans know the story. Desperate for a franchise quarterback, the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed. A few months later, they drafted Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and Cousins played like a man with someone looking over his shoulder
The recovery from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in October 2023 and an elbow injury midway through last season contributed to Cousins’s poor performance. But Cousins’s tenure as the starting quarterback lasted just 14 games before the Falcons opted to turn to Penix last December.
With Penix set to become the full-time starter, many expected Cousins to be traded or released. Instead, the Falcons have held on through a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 and the duration of the offseason program with plans on having Cousins as a $45 million backup next season.
Of course, Cousins could sell himself by playing in Friday’s game but the risk outweighs the reward. If the 37-year-old were to get injured, it would effectively tank the Falcons’ efforts to trade him and leave Atlanta with a highly-paid backup that would almost certainly get released next season.
For now, Cousins and the Falcons will play the waiting game. While a resolution appears nowhere in sight, one injury in the league could provide the avenue for a deal and give Atlanta the way out of it’s nightmare investment.