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Kirk Cousins Makes Decision On Voluntary OTAs Tuesday

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 27, 2025 1:54 PM ET

Kirk Cousins may have laid the foundation for a messy offseason situation.

The Atlanta Falcons began their voluntary offseason team activities on Tuesday. Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters he didn't spot Cousins, who reportedly wants a change of scenery after losing the QB1 job to Michael Penix Jr. last season.

"I did not see him today," Morris said. "I didn't go out to practice, but he didn't show up in the meeting, so I did not see him today."

After a torn Achilles prematurely ended his 2023 season, Cousins joined the Falcons on a four-year, $180 million contract. A month later, they drafted Penix with the No. 8 overall pick.

In 14 games, Cousins threw a career-high 16 interceptions with his worst quarterback rating (88.6) since 2014. The Falcons benched him for Penix and made it clear the younger quarterback would start in 2025.

Despite Cousins's reported desires, the Falcons have resisted trading the 36-year-old. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Falcons have not lowered their asking price or conveyed any urgency to move the expensive backup.

"The feeling around the league is that Atlanta has not been willing to budge on this," Fowler said. "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."

Fowler said teams expressed interest in Cousins earlier this offseason and believes a trade would have happened if the Falcons agreed to absorb a small percentage of his contract.

Any chance of a late deal happening could now depend on Aaron Rodgers. Fowler said the Pittsburgh Steelers are monitoring Cousins as a potential Plan B.

"Right now, Pittsburgh might be the only hope for Cousins," Fowler said. "Or he's sort of stuck in Atlanta."

Following Cousins' OTA absence, Fowler reiterated that the quarterback market died down, and his paths out of Atlanta are "scarce" beyond Pittsburgh.

Tuesday's events are voluntary, but the Falcons will begin their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 10.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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