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Insider explains why Kirk Cousins could make surprising Falcons decision
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins could welcome a trade from the Atlanta Falcons to any team willing to make him their starter now that the club has 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. atop its depth chart.
However, for a mailbag published on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained why he thinks Cousins could serve as Penix's backup during the upcoming season.
"It feels, to me at least, like it’ll take a material change to someone else’s quarterback situation (be it by performance or injury) for Cousins to wind up on another team," Breer wrote. "My understanding is that once camp starts, Cousins, whose family is now rooted in his wife’s home state of Georgia, might not just waive his no-trade clause to start anywhere — it may take the right situation for him to go. I wouldn’t say this story is over. But we are well into the back half of the book."
Atlanta's first training camp practice is set to take place on July 24.
Cousins' wife grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, and her background reportedly impacted his decision to accept a four-year deal worth up to $180M with $100M guaranteed offered by the Falcons back in March 2024. The relationship between Cousins and the club has seemingly not been the same since the team selected Penix with the eighth overall pick in last year's draft. Still, there is also no indication that the Falcons will release the 36-year-old before the 2025 season begins.
While Cousins theoretically could afford to stay away from the Falcons during training camp in an attempt to receive his desired release, the fact that he attended mandatory minicamp sessions indicates he will report to training camp on time. Meanwhile, clubs such as the Pittsburgh Steelers that could have been interested in acquiring Cousins back in March have since made other arrangements (such as Pittsburgh signing Aaron Rodgers).
Breer's update could serve as a "come get me" signal to other franchises regarding Cousins' availability. Things often change quickly in the NFL, but there's currently no reason to think any team will give up a meaningful asset and pay a significant portion of Cousins' salary to make him its QB1 before the final weekend of July arrives.
More must-reads:
- Michael Penix Jr. has the RGIII stamp of approval
- Eagles, Panthers on ‘shortlist’ for two-time Pro Bowl safety
- The '500-passing yard games in NFL history' quiz
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Raiders staff 'changed their mind' on Jackson Powers-Johnson
First-year head coach Pete Carroll is tinkering with the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line early in training camp. On Tuesday, second-year offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson was moved to the second-team unit at center, with Jordan Meredith handling the first-team reps, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic. On Thursday, Powers-Johnson was moved to the first-team right guard. The Raiders initially wanted Powers-Johnson to play at center in the upcoming season, but "changed their mind" when they released veteran Andre James in March. "Powers-Johnson started games at guard last year, but the intent was for him to lock in on center after the team released Andre James this offseason," Reed wrote. "That was the case through OTAs, but the staff changed their mind once training camp got rolling. "According to coach Pete Carroll, the logic is Meredith is too small to play guard but holds up well at center. They signed Alex Cappa to start at right guard, but Powers-Johnson is a superior option there." Meredith, a six-foot-two, 300-pound athlete, is decidedly much smaller than the six-foot-three, 328-pound Powers-Johnson. Carroll believes the competition between Meredith and Powers-Johnson this summer will ultimately make the team better. "It's the heart of everything," Carroll told reporters on Thursday regarding the battle at center between Meredith and Powers-Johnson, via video from Taylor Rocha. "These guys are battling for their playing time... JPJ is working his tail off, and both those guys are battling, so it just makes us better." It's hard to see the Raiders benching Powers-Johnson if Meredith earns the starting center job. He should at least earn the starting right guard job after he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2024. He is too talented not to start for Las Vegas.
Yankees tried to trade for Paul Skenes
The New York Yankees took a big swing ahead of Thursday’s MLB trade deadline. The Yankees asked the Pittsburgh Pirates about a trade for Paul Skenes and were even willing to include top outfield prospect Spencer Jones in a package for the ace pitcher. The Pirates, however, were completely unwilling to discuss Skenes in any deals, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Obviously, it cannot hurt the Yankees to ask about Skenes, who is one of the best pitchers in baseball already. It also makes sense for the Pirates to shut those talks down, as Skenes does not even become eligible for arbitration until 2027. The Pirates are known for trading star players before they get too expensive, but Skenes is over a year away from his salary beginning to rise. The team wants to build around Skenes, and trading the former No. 1 pick would likely cause fan interest to crater. Skenes has a 1.89 ERA in his first 45 MLB starts. If the Pirates traded him, he would be the most coveted player in the entire sport. The Yankees are not the only team that would be willing to sell the farm for him, but it just is not happening.
Dodgers' Dave Roberts Shuts Down Reports of LA Trading Key Player
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a few hours left until the trade deadline. After landing a few prospects in a three-team deal with the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays, and reuniting with Brock Stewart by way of the Minnesota Twins, there is still chatter among the baseball world as to what the Dodgers will do next. Recently graduated top prospect Dalton Rushing has established himself as the new backup catcher for the defending champions after being called up in May, and LA parting ways with longtime backstop Austin Barnes. With the rumor mill churning like never before, the 24-year-old catcher was linked to a few contenders ahead of this exciting deadline. Manager Dave Roberts recently spoke on Rushing being involved in these rumors and what he thinks will happen to the backstop. "I just don’t see a world in which he’s moved anyway and I think he’s smart enough to realize that," Roberts said. Rushing was raking in Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, batting .308/.424/.514 with a .938 OPS across 31 games. He added five home runs and 17 RBIs during this time. With a clear need to bring up another strong bat, Barnes was designated for assignment and Rushing was called up. So far in his MLB debut, Rushing is hitting .200 with a .545 OPS through 29 games. Although his early struggles are common for recently called up prospects given the expectations and pressure on the young man, it is certainly not a sign that the Dodgers would look to trade him. Catching prospect Hunter Feduccia was flipped on Wednesday as a result of the Reds and Rays deal, further shrinking the catching depth in the Dodgers organization. Parting ways with Rushing before he has shown his fullest potential in the majors makes less sense as the days go on, and it doesn't look he will be in a different uniform beyond Aug 1.
Mariners acquire Eugenio Suarez in blockbuster deal
The hype around Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline has been circulating for quite some time, and now, the 34-year-old third baseman has been dealt to the Seattle Mariners, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Suarez has bounced around the major leagues through a 12-year career, including a stop in Seattle for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In that span, Suarez tallied 267 hits, 53 home runs and 183 RBIs. In Passan's report, the trade is pending a medical review. Suarez was hit on the right index finger by a pitch while playing on Monday in Detroit. There were no fractures revealed in his CT scan and MRI exam he got after leaving the game. Suarez has not played since that game on Monday. Suarez joins a Seattle team that is fighting in the AL West race, trailing five games to the Houston Astros. The Mariners are also clinging to the third AL Wild Card spot, tied with the Texas Rangers and in the playoff pack with the Yankees and Red Sox. Suarez in Seattle also means that two of the top home run hitters in baseball will team up on the same lineup card. Cal Raleigh leads the league with 41 home runs and added a Home Run Derby title to his 2025 season accolades. Suarez sits in fifth place in MLB with his 36 homers. Suarez is the first player in MLB history to be traded in-season after reaching 35 home runs, as reported by Yahoo Sports. MLB.com's Daniel Kramer reported shortly after the Suarez trade news broke that the return to Arizona will be Tyler Locklear and pitching prospects Hunter Cranton (No. 16) and right-hander Juan Burgos (No. 17), according to Kramer. Locklear made his MLB debut last season and played 16 games with the Mariners, putting together seven hits and a .156 batting average in 49 plate appearances. Suarez will not have a chance to see his former team as Arizona and Seattle don't meet this season, but the veteran first baseman will likely get a chance to expand upon limited playoff experience, and he'll do so playing his best baseball.
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