Kirk

Cousins

Cousins’ no-trade clause gives him the ability to at least partially determine his own future, and there appears to be wiggle room in his request. Although he would prefer to wait until the draft’s conclusion, he has reportedly made clear that a mid-draft trade, after Day 2 concludes, could be agreeable. Salguero lists the Steelers, Browns and even the Vikings, in a backup role, as possible landing spots.

Cousins wants to avoid the situation he found himself in last season. Less than two months after signing a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons last year, Cousins watched as the Falcons surprisingly went out and drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft. The selection of Penix immediately put pressure on Cousins to perform well to remain as the team’s starter, but by Week 16, Penix was named the starter while Cousins quickly became the highest-paid backup in the league. The Falcons have appeared more than willing to keep Cousins on the roster for the upcoming season, but a trade would benefit all sides, as it would give Cousins a chance to play and the Falcons a chance to pick up some assets in return. With the draft concluding on April 26th, it’s possible we’ll know Cousins’ new landing spot come May.

Anderson mentions a third-round pick as a potential return for Cousins. The 36-year-old is heading into the second season of a four-year, $180 million contract and locked in $10 million in guarantees by staying on Atlanta’s roster at the start of the new league year. The Falcons are keeping him as the back-up to Michael Penix Jr., but teams looking for a veteran quarterback may deal up to a third-round pick for Cousins and the remainder of his contract.

It’s a procedural note, but one that meaningfully impacts Atlanta’s plans for their ludicrously-paid backup quarterback. Cutting him before Sunday would lessen the amount they owe him next year, making that date a soft deadline for the team to move on from him. True to their word, the Falcons are proceeding as if Cousins will play out the second season of his four-year, $180 million contract as the backup to Michael Penix. Atlanta could also be waiting for more quarterback dominoes to fall. If a team gets left without a chair when the music stops, they may make the Falcons an offer for Cousins.

As Russini succinctly puts it, “We’ll see.” Russini also notes that teams have reached out to Atlanta to see if the team plans to release Cousins, and have been told no. The Falcons have no reason to hold onto a backup quarterback who is entering year two of a four-year, $180 million contract. Atlanta may be trying to recoup some of their losses by playing hardball with other teams, but it’s hard to see Cousins sticking around into Week 1. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo previously said he expects Cousins to make his inevitable trade request after the draft. This would allow him to pick a spot where he won’t be usurped by a rookie this time around. For now, Cousins, the Falcons, and other teams are all at a stalemate.

Cousins is currently penciled in as the Falcons’ No. 2 QB behind Michael Penix Jr. and Garafolo expects Cousins will wait until the 2025 NFL draft’s conclusion before asking the Falcons to trade him to a specific team. Last year, Cousins expected to be the unquestioned starter in Atlanta but the Falcons instead spent the No. 8 overall pick on Penix, who eventually replaced Cousins in-season. Cousins does not want to repeat that scenario again in 2025 and will likely wield his no-trade clause to that end, until he can identify a cozy landing spot.

In a joint ESPN report written by Fowler and Dan Graziano, the latter makes clear that the Browns are expected to draft a quarterback with the 2025 NFL draft’s second overall pick. However, Fowler adds that the three aforementioned veteran quarterbacks are also in play, perhaps as early-season starters or clipboard-holding mentors. Recent reports indicate that the Falcons are comfortable rostering Cousins as their backup behind Michel Penix Jr., which would require the Browns to give up more than just cash to get him. Per Fowler, cost is a concern for the Browns, meaning they’d need Cousins to be released and play on an offset deal to acquire him.

The Rams just finalized a deal to keep Matthew Stafford in town, taking what was likely the Giants’ top target at quarterback off the board. New York also holds the third overall pick in the draft. That gives them a shot at landing a quarterback, though the Titans and Browns both have a similar need and pick ahead of the G-Men. With the Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen brain trust on the hot seat heading into 2025, a veteran quarterback who is already a known commodity might be their preferred route this offseason. However, it’s hard to shake the “but it might work for us” vibes of a desperate New York regime hanging their hopes on a declining Rodgers. The Giants will explore all options at quarterback, which means Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, and Kirk Cousins should be on the list as well.

“Because they have to,” Schefter added, “because logic dictates that, because common sense dictates that.” It’s not been an uncommon sentiment from Browns beat writers this past month. The Browns enter this offseason with negative cap space, ahead of only the oft-cap beleaguered Saints. They’ve been linked to Kirk Cousins because he’ll be playing on an offset deal, like Russell Wilson did last year, if he’s released. That means he’d cost the Browns the league minimum. A Cousins-Cam Ward/Shedeur Sanders pairing would be a reasonable conclusion, giving Cleveland some short-term comfort to break in a rookie. If the Browns are determined to not adjust Deshaun Watson’s contract again, they truly lose a lot of their ability to create short-term cap space. What Schefter is selling makes sense to us.

This is the second time Fontenot has postured about having Cousins as a backup in 2025 after he was benched for Penix late in the 2024 season. With a guaranteed salary of $27.5 million for the coming season and a no-trade clause, Cousins would be a well compensated backup. Cousins a few weeks ago claimed he had been struggling through an injury. The team, per Fontenot, was unaware of any such injury for the 36-year-old Cousins, who tore his Achilles in 2023 and was almost completely immobile for the 2024 season’s first month. With the Browns reportedly interested in acquiring Cousins, it’s unlikely the Falcons keep him as a backup.