Falcons Keeping QB Kirk Cousins Beyond Football Decision: Analyst

There are football reasons for the Atlanta Falcons to keep quarterback Kirk Cousins. If the veteran can put aside his ego, the Falcons will have one of, if not, the best backup quarterbacks in case of a Michael Penix Jr. injury during 2025.

There are also business reasons for the Falcons to have kept Cousins. If a contender suffers an injury at quarterback this summer, Cousins could be very valuable on the NFL trade market.

But ESPN's Dan Graziano argued Wednesday a human factor has prevented the Falcons from parting with Cousins this offseason.

"Why didn't the Falcons cut bait here? Stubbornness likely had something to do with it," Graziano wrote. "They signed Cousins for $100 million in guaranteed money 14 months ago, and team ownership wasn't thrilled about the idea of releasing him after doling out all that money for 14 not-so-great games in 2024.

"And when it came time to talk trade, the Falcons were asking interested teams to pay a significant portion of that remaining $37.5 million in guaranteed money. That meant those teams weren't offering the Falcons a return that Atlanta deemed worthwhile."

The Falcons could have released the veteran quarterback before his roster bonus was due in March. Instead, the team held onto Cousins in the hopes of getting something in return for their $180 million investment last year.

The guaranteed money in Cousins' contract was $90 million. The Falcons owe the quarterback another $10 million because of the roster bonus. Any team that acquires Cousins this summer, though, will pay the quarterback the $10 million bonus. So, for the time being, that $10 million doesn't have to be a concern for Atlanta.

But if he's not traded and does spend the 2025 campaign as Atlanta's backup, the team will pay that bonus to Cousins.

There aren't any clear potential trade landing spots for Cousins. Like other analysts, Graziano argued the Pittsburgh Steelers are a possiblility, but other than that, the Falcons are stuck waiting for an injury.

"At this point, the Falcons maintain that they're comfortable with Cousins as a $27.5 million backup. Sure, his salary cap number is $40 million, but Penix's is only $5.2 million," Graziano wrote. "If you add those two figures together, it's not a ridiculous amount to allocate to the most important position. Cousins could still end up traded before the season.

"If Aaron Rodgers decides he doesn't want to play for the Steelers, Pittsburgh could get interested. If another team's starter gets hurt in minicamp or training camp, a fresh market could emerge."

No one should necessarily blame the Falcons for trying to maximize their Cousins investment. It would be greatly beneficial if they could land a draft pick for the quarterback, especially after they traded away their 2026 first-rounder during the 2025 draft.

But the Falcons are taking a risk on whether they can move Cousins. If they don't, the team may regret not being more willing to take what they could get for the quarterback earlier in the offseason.

That all depends, though, on how the rest of the summer and regular season go for the Falcons with Cousins.