The Atlanta Falcons have completed their offseason program and their eyes are now pointed to this month’s training camp. The weeks between mandatory minicamp and training camp are the last chance for players to recharge ahead of the long grind of an NFL season. But there are some players that can’t afford to slack off.
One player already lost his job last year and is looking for a way out of Atlanta. While the Falcons haven’t obliged, he needs to find a way to stay ready during the dead period and be prepared for his next opportunity, whether it be with the Falcons or someone else.
Kirk Cousins Needs to Stay Ready for His Next Opportunity With the Falcons
If you read the intro, you could have guessed we were talking about Kirk Cousins. The $180 million man was benched for Michael Penix Jr. last season and the franchise has already moved on to make Penix their quarterback of the future. The Athletic’s Josh Kendall reported that Cousins told Falcons owner Arthur Blank that he would prefer to be traded or released in March but artificial deadlines such as a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 and the NFL Draft have come and gone without a trade.
It would be for Cousins to come into camp and cause the same disturbance you would see at your local Wendy’s. It would also be easy for Cousins to treat the next couple of weeks like one giant Tuesday knowing that it will be Penix handling most of the work. But the soon-to-be 37-year-old has said all the right things and reported to mandatory minicamp and there’s more to it than just being a good teammate.
While Cousins hasn’t been freed from his own prison, that release could come at any moment. Other teams across the NFL are currently evaluating their quarterbacks for the upcoming season and if someone gets hurt or simply isn’t good enough, it could lead to an 11th-hour call to the Falcons with the offer they’ve been looking for.
This situation played out in 2016 when Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a career-altering leg injury during practice. With Bridgewater out indefinitely, the Vikings traded a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 draft in exchange for Sam Bradford. While Bradford was the starter, his days were numbered ahead of Carson Wentz, who the Eagles selected with the second overall pick in the previous April’s draft and Philadelphia waited the market out before turning to the rookie.
The Falcons aren’t likely to command a first-round pick, but Cousins could inflate his value during the next 10 weeks. By showing up to camp ready to go, Cousins could impress during joint practices and potentially preseason games to show the quarterback that struggled over the final two months of last season is in the past. He could also be ready for another shot with the Falcons if Penix suffers an injury or is ineffective to start next season.
It’s all an unlikely scenario for a quarterback that has been waiting to be traded for the last two months. But staying ready could be the key to getting Cousins what he wants ahead of the upcoming season.