Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Surprisingly Shows Up to Offseason Program

NFL Draft week is driven by surprises. The Atlanta Falcons received one before the event even started.

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has expressed his desire to the team to play elsewhere in 2025, showed up to the team's facility for the first day of the offseason program Tuesday, according to WSB-TV's Zach Klein on X.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters April 1 at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., that he didn't expect Cousins to show up for voluntary portions of the offseason.

"I'm not going to be foolish to think he's going to show up for voluntary work," Morris said. "Right now we're dealing with a business-like mode. We're dealing with that type of feel. I don't think he'll be there. If he is, we'll welcome him with open arms.

"But I'm not going to be fooled enough to make myself get worked up and angry about Kirk Cousins missing voluntary workouts."

The Falcons have expressed contentment keeping Cousins as a backup despite his interest in playing elsewhere.

"We still feel very strongly about Kirk being our backup quarterback," Morris said. "We still feel very strongly about the human, still feel very strongly about where he stands right now."

Atlanta has four quarterbacks under contract: starter Michael Penix Jr., Cousins, newly signed Easton Stick and Emory Jones.

Cousins signed a four-year contract worth up to $180 million last March. He started only 14 games during the 2024 season, completing 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Atlanta started Penix, a first-round pick in 2024, for the final three contests and plans on moving forward with the 24-year-old under center.

Over his final five starts, Cousins threw only one touchdown and nine interceptions while the Falcons went just 1-4. He later said he suffered right elbow and right shoulder injuries in a Week 10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, which started his slide.

The Falcons put Cousins on the injury report the week after, but he never appeared on it again, and Atlanta said it had no knowledge of any other injury issues.

Cousins met with Morris, Blank and other members of Atlanta's leadership this offseason, expressing his interest in playing somewhere he can start. With Penix in place, that's not expected to be Atlanta.

And yet, as the Falcons start the first phase of their offseason program Tuesday in Flowery Branch, Ga., Cousins appeared -- which evidently would've been a surprise to Morris three weeks prior.