Falcons Encouraged to Trade Veteran Quarterback

The 2025 NFL season is on the horizon, with the Atlanta Falcons starting Training Camp next week. With opening night less than 50 days away, one writer is encouraging the Falcons to move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder suggested the move his list of trades for each NFL team should consider making before the start of the season. 

Moving on from Cousins has been a common talking point over the offseason with the emergence of Michael Penix Jr. It would allow the team to establish an identity around who is expected to be the franchise player under center, and they can alleviate the cap hit that Cousins brings. The veteran quarterback is entering year two of his four-year, $180 million deal that includes $100 million guaranteed. The cap hit increases to $40 million this year and maxes out at $57 million in the latter two years of the deal. 

However, getting a deal done isn’t so simple. It is almost August, and if a team wanted a quarterback, they most certainly would have acquired one by now. The quarterback market has dried up for the most part, with few teams looking to shake up their rosters this close to the start of the season.

Perhaps some teams want a quarterback and don’t want to take on the cap hit so quickly. The Falcons would likely have to offer a major incentive or a deal to get a team to take on all of it. 

The Steelers seemed like a potential suitor at one point, until they signed Aaron Rodgers last month. The only teams in the NFL that might have a legit quarterback competition are the New Orleans Saints and the Cleveland Browns. Not only are inter-division trades rare, but the Saints just spent a second-round pick on quarterback Tyler Shough, so it would hardly make sense for them to give up more assets to bring in another quarterback, especially a 36-year-old coming off an injury.

Holder thinks the Falcons might just have to wait it out and see if a need for a quarterback comes about elsewhere.

“There aren't many starting quarterback spots open around the league right now, so Cousins might be stuck in Atlanta until another team suffers an injury in training camp. If that happens, the Falcons should act quickly and just get what they can for the 36-year-old since the team doesn't plan on playing him this season,” Holder said.

The reality is that Cousins will almost certainly spend the entire 2025 season with Atlanta. There are very few realistic scenarios where the Falcons can actually unload Cousins. Whether it’s the financial implications of Cousins’ ridiculous contract, or the age and injury, there are too many obstacles obstructing a trade.

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