Entering this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons had a big decision to make regarding Kirk Cousins. Last offseason, Atlanta signed the veteran quarterback to a four-year deal worth $180 million with $100 million guaranteed. They then shocked the NFL world by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Falcons' selection confused everyone, including Cousins himself.
That said, Cousins started the first 14 weeks of the 2024 season but was benched in Week 15 due to poor play. Once Penix took over, making a move back to Cousins as the starter was unlikely, even if it was in 2025. As a result, Atlanta put themselves in a tough position given the contract they gave Cousins.
However, the organization made it clear that they were fine with keeping the 36-year-old as the highest-paid backup in the NFL. Still, rumors about potential trade suitors continue to swirl. One team that's been consistently brought up as a suitor is the Cleveland Browns.
On Wednesday, NFL insider Benjamin Allbright provided an update on the Cousins to the Browns talk via a post on X {formerly Twitter}. Allbright said while there is truth to the speculation, nothing is close to happening at this point.
I would say that there’s truth to that but not that it’s “close” or anything at this point https://t.co/D215sqE9U0
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) March 26, 2025
Atlanta Still Far Away From Trading Kirk Cousins
Allbright's update isn't surprising at all. As mentioned above, the Falcons have gone on record multiple times, stating they are fine keeping Cousins. Given Penix's injury history, their desire to keep the veteran around makes sense.
Yet, paying a quarterback or any player $45 million a season to sit on the bench is nonsensical. Even though Atlanta would need to eat some of the money if they were to cut or trade Cousins, in many people's eyes, it would be a smarter allocation of cap space.
Nonetheless, it doesn't seem like the Falcons care too much about rostering Cousins in 20225 and beyond as of right now. Even so, Cousins may try to force his way out of Atlanta before the 2025 season begins.