A significant portion of the Atlanta Falcons' offseason has centered on the future of Kirk Cousins. Nothing happened on that front, in large part due to Cousins' huge cap number and his no-trade clause.
In 2024, Cousins and the Falcons agreed to terms on a four-year, $180 million deal, and less than one year later, he's on the bench.
While the Falcons are still working to resolve this situation, the San Francisco 49ers have made a similar decision to include a no-trade clause for Brock Purdy. On May 16, it was announced that the 49ers and Purdy agreed to a five-year, $265 million extension that includes $181 million guaranteed.
Brock Purdy Lands No Trade Clause in Extension
A big difference in these two deals is that Cousins was 35 years old when he inked his contract, and Purdy is 25 years old.
That's a huge gap, but Purdy getting a no-trade clause was a bit surprising. Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, and Cousins all have no trade clauses.
Jackson, Mahomes, Allen, and Hurts all either have a SB title or an MVP on their belt. Prescott may not have either, but he has put up terrific numbers over a long period of time. Goff has helped turn the Lions around.
As for Purdy, he has gone 23-13 as a starter with a Super Bowl appearance. In 40 career games, he has gone 722-of-1069 (67.5%) for 9,518 passing yards and 64 passing touchdowns. Many people believe he puts up these numbers because he's playing in Kyle Shanahan's scheme, which is quarterback-friendly.
We'll have to see how things unfold, but it's clear the 49ers have faith in Purdy, making him one of the highest-paid QBs in the league. It will be interesting to see if they will regret this choice the same way the Falcons did with Cousins.
In 14 games with the Falcons, he went 7-7 as the starter. In those outings, he went 303-of-453 (66.9%) for 3,508 yards, 18 passing touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. That led to Michael Penix Jr. becoming the starter and being the QB of the future.
And Cousins is parked on the bench due to that no-trade clause.