Kirk Cousins' Latest Stunts Should Officially Close Door on Potential Falcons Return

Atlanta Falcons fans hold no love for Kirk Cousins after a disastrous debut season with the franchise. He was unceremoniously benched just 14 games into a contract with $100 million guaranteed, and it was obvious that rookie Michael Penix Jr. gave the team their best chance to win.

Cousins is still technically on the roster. That said, it seems to be only a matter of time before he's either traded or outright released, especially after his bizarre antics during Super Bowl week.

During a fun ping-pong competition on Wednesday, Cousins wound up putting an all-black shirt over the Falcons gear he began the event wearing. He lost in the finals to Drake Maye, so perhaps the sudden switch was symbolic of his fall from grace in Atlanta.

Kirk Cousins' Super Bowl Week Antics End Any Chance of Falcons Return

Cousins had the worst year of his career, throwing just 18 TDs to 16 interceptions while taking 28 sacks. His lack of mobility was clearly a problem, but what made him impossible to play was a brutal four-game losing streak in which he threw zero TDs and eight interceptions.

Maybe Cousins just got uncomfortable in this ping-pong tournament, but it seems intentional to change outfits in the middle of the event. For a man known for his bland wardrobe, even this plain choice raised eyebrows across the NFL landscape. However, this wasn't his worst sin of the week, depending on how you look at things.

In an appearance on "Good Morning Football", Cousins revealed he hurt his throwing shoulder and elbow in Week 10 against the Saints. That happened to be the start of his skid, which raises significant questions about why he was allowed to continue playing in the first place.

This looks bad for both Cousins and maligned head coach Raheem Morris, who displayed stunning game-management incompetency multiple times throughout the season. Either Cousins wasn't honest about his injury or Morris ignored the obvious. Regardless of who is to blame, it's clear why Cousins fell apart down the stretch.

A year that began with much promise came crashing down in disarray, likely because of that injury. Fans are understandably mad at Cousins, but he doesn't seem to care much based on his wardrobe change.

Atlanta's front office appears committed to building around Penix in the short-term and the roster has the skill-position players to make some noise in 2025. In order to achieve synergy across the organization, though, the Falcons need to move on from Cousins quickly before more drama can cloud the offseason.

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