Falcons' Kirk Cousins makes alarming comments about health amid trade desires

It's hardly a secret that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins wants the Atlanta Falcons to cut or trade him as soon as possible now that the club is moving forward with 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. as its starter. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Cousins indicated he still hasn't fully returned to how he felt before he suffered a torn Achilles in October 2023.

"When the season ended last year, I started getting into working on my body and having the time to do that," Cousins explained, as shared by Rick Farlow of the Associated Press. "I thought I was much better than I was. On (a scale) of one to 10, I thought I was at an eight, but I was really back at a three or four and now I'm getting back to that six, seven (or) eight. You start to realize that you weren't as far along as you thought. (There was) a lot of learning this offseason to get there."

Cousins recovered from the Achilles setback in time to serve as Atlanta's Week 1 starter last September, and he guided the team to a 6-3 record. However, he then looked "out of gas" and seemed to have a "dead" arm as he dealt with elbow, shoulder and ankle issues during what became a four-game losing streak. The Falcons ultimately turned to Penix after they ended Week 15 at 7-7, and he remained in the lineup through Atlanta's regular-season finale.

"The Achilles healed great," Cousins noted. "What ended up happening was the ankle was just very tight. Everything was (about building) strength, so that's what I focused on. What I realized this offseason was the strength was there. It was a mobility issue. You have to have both, and I really didn't have the mobility. So now it's been (about) mobility."

Also on Tuesday, head coach Raheem Morris strongly suggested the Falcons will hold onto Cousins as their QB2 if no team trades for the 36-year-old this summer. The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers were linked with Cousins earlier this offseason but have since filled their quarterback rooms via other transactions. 

Cousins' comments on Tuesday likely won't do him any favors regarding a possible trade considering it was already believed that "he needs to get his whole body into the throws" at this stage of his career. Even if a team loses a starter to an injury this summer, that club may pass on trading for the version of Cousins that exists coming off his Achilles injury.