With only a few days left until the 2025 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons have yet to resolve their Kirk Cousins question. The veteran quarterback remains on the roster and the Falcons continue to be adamant in their ridiculous claim that Cousins will be their QB2 to begin the roster.
While many around the league believe this to be a bluff by the Atlanta front office, the latest report by ESPN's Adam Schefter hints that this may not be the case. According to Schefter, the Falcons have been engaged in trade talks with teams but have unrealistic demands that end the negotiations before they can get anywhere.
"Privately, they have had discussions with teams -- and have asked for a lot in return, per sources. Atlanta has asked for any acquiring team to pay $20 million of the $45 million worth of guarantees left on Cousins' contract. To date, no [team] has been willing to do that, and no team is expected to be willing to."Adam Schefter, ESPN
The Falcons are asking teams to pay nearly half of Cousins' guaranteed salary going forward. Teams are understandably hesitant to do so, in addition to any draft compensation they would have to give up.
What complicates matters is the fact that the Falcons don't have a financial incentive to release the 36-year-old. They are on the hook to pay Cousins his guaranteed salary regardless of whether he is on the roster or not. That is why trading him is the only way out of this conundrum.
Schefter later names the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers as potential landing spots that could be willing to pay "roughly $10 million" for Cousins' salary. While that is a positive sign for the Falcons that there are interested teams, they need to act quickly since the market for Cousins may cool off after the NFL Draft.
Depending on where the top of the quarterback class lands in the draft, these potential Cousins destinations may no longer be interested. The Falcons simply can't afford to make the mistake of being too demanding in these negotiations.