ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: Kirk Cousins ‘on Steelers’ radar’ if Aaron Rodgers talks fall through

As Aaron Rodgers Watch continues, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait for an official answer at quarterback. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported one intriguing backup plan could be in the works if the talks fall through.

Fowler mentioned Kirk Cousins as a potential option for Pittsburgh if the franchise is unable to land Rodgers. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback came up in trade rumors earlier this offseason, but the amount left on his contract made a move tough for interested teams.

Fowler pointed out the $37.5 million in guaranteed money Cousins has on his contract. A team would have to help with that figure if a trade was to come to fruition, and the Steelers appear to be one of the only potential options left. That is, if the Falcons want to trade him.

“I would say Kirk Cousins,” Fowler said on SportsCenter Monday when asked about non-Rodgers options for the Steelers. “I had some conversations with people this week that led me to believe that Cousins is, at the very least, on the Steelers’ radar if something were to fall through on Rodgers. Now, here’s how they could make that happen. Cousins has $37.5 million in guarantees between this year and next year. Somebody’s on the hook for that, whether it’s Atlanta or someone else. So to facilitate a trade, Atlanta would need a team to offset some of that money – whether it’s $4 million, $20 million, whatever it is.

“But the feeling around the league is that Atlanta has not been willing to budge on this. They haven’t shown a lot of interest in trading Cousins. It would take a hefty price tag for another team to wiggle that out. As one source told me, if they’re willing to take a small percentage – let’s say $7 or $8 million of that money – a deal would be done by now. There was interest earlier in the offseason. Right now, Pittsburgh might be the only hope for Cousins or he’s sort of stuck in Atlanta.”

Cousins signed a four-year contract with Atlanta last season worth $180 million, including $100 million guaranteed. The Falcons also drafted a quarterback with the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft, selecting Michael Penix Jr., who later took the starting job from Cousins as he struggled during his first year in Atlanta. Cousins threw for 3,508 yards and 18 touchdowns, but led the league with 16 interceptions.

That dynamic led to trade rumors as the quarterback carousel started to spin. However, no deal came together, meaning Cousins is currently in line to return to the Falcons in 2025 as Penix gets ready for his second season in the league.