Will Falcons handle Kirk Cousins like Texans did Deshaun Watson in 2021?

Even before quarterback Kirk Cousins was reportedly not spotted at the Atlanta Falcons' opening day of organized team activities, The Athletic's Josh Kendall suggested that Atlanta should want to get "Cousins out of the building one way or another" before the 2025 season. 

For a piece published on Wednesday, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offered a solution that could benefit both the Falcons and Cousins as 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. prepares to be a Week 1 starter for the first time. 

"The best play is to wait," Florio said. "And the Falcons and Cousins should come to an agreement along those lines. Cousins stays home, gets paid, remains in shape, and both sides wait for a trade opportunity to emerge."

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot has made it clear he doesn't plan to release Cousins. That makes sense considering Fontenot and Co. may need to turn to Cousins if Penix goes down with an injury or doesn't perform well in September. Fontenot is hoping to find a trade partner for Cousins' services, but no club has yet been willing to pay "a significant portion of" the 36-year-old's salary. 

Florio noted that "having Cousins around will only make things awkward" as Penix works on "finding his voice" as the team's new offensive leader. Atlanta could avoid this by handling Cousins' status similarly to how the Houston Texans retained Deshaun Watson's rights after he requested a trade in early 2021. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Houston paid Watson but kept him inactive throughout his final season with the club before trading him to the Cleveland Browns in March 2022. 

"Cousins will get his game checks in the amount of $1.52M per week, the Falcons won’t have to worry about Cousins’s presence undermining Penix, and all it takes is one injury to a starting quarterback before the trade deadline and problem solved," Florio added about his idea. "...That’s the smart play for both sides. Cousins stays home. Cousins gets paid. Cousins stays in shape. Cousins and the Falcons wait for someone to get injured between now and the Tuesday after Week 9."

If no team makes a move for Cousins before the trade deadline, he could finish the campaign as Penix's primary backup. For now, it seems silly for everybody involved for Cousins to participate in the offseason program through Atlanta's mandatory minicamp (scheduled for June 10-11).