Atlanta Falcons find an out to their Kirk Cousins dilemma thanks to a hypothetical NFL expansion draft

Which Falcons players were made eligible for this fictional expansion draft?

This particular expansion draft, unlike the NFL's 2002 expansion draft, had some different eligibility rules. Here's a quick rundown of those rules:

• Each current NFL team has to leave 12 players unprotected.
• Players with 0 or 1 accrued seasons are automatically protected and cannot be added to the list. Players with no-trade clauses can also not be added.
• If the player is taken, the expansion team will absorb both his future salaries and signing bonus prorations, so it can be a useful tool to unload veteran contracts.
• ⁠The list is final, meaning that teams can't withdraw a player after another one has been selected.
• The expansion team can get a maximum of two players from each NFL team, and a maximum of 40 players.

Our Destin Adams left these 12 Falcons players unprotected:

• Kirk Cousins, QB
• Easton Stick, QB
• David Sills V, WR
• Teagan Quitoriano, TE
• Felipe Franks, TE
• Storm Norton, OT
• Lamar Jackson, CB
• Kevin King, CB
• Keith Taylor Jr., CB
• Mike Ford Jr., CB
• Khalid Kareem, DE
• Josh Woods, LB

Falcons find an out to their Kirk Cousins dilemma

Making Cousins eligible for an expansion draft would make all the sense in the world for the Falcons, enabling them to unload his massive contract without being on the hook for dead money. Cousins is taking a whopping $40 million salary cap hit for Atlanta in 2025 as a backup.

A change of scenery would do Cousins some good. At 36 years old, he has more years behind him in the NFL than ahead. He undoubtably would like to make one last push to win a Super Bowl ring, or at the least improve on his 1-4 career postseason record. Cousins threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions in 14 starts last season.