The Falcons have tried to create the impression that they’re committed to keeping quarterback Kirk Cousins as the understudy to Michael Penix Jr. in 2025. Some think they’re bluffing. One key fact supports the notion that the Falcons are biding their time.
The Cousins contract has a provision allowing the Falcons to automatically restructure the deal, whenever they want. They have not yet exercised that right.
Doing so would create up to $20.996 million in 2025 cap space, by reducing his salary from $27.5 million to $1.255 million, paying the difference as a bonus, and spreading it over five years.
Earlier this week, the Falcons created $20 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of cornerback A.J. Terrell and guard Chris Lindstrom. Those moves created $20 million in extra cap space, putting the Falcons at roughly $12 million under the 2025 limit.
If they’re serious about keeping Cousins for 2025, it would make sense to create another $20 million in cap space. If they’re thinking about trading him, it would make no sense; not only would they pay him a $26.245 million signing bonus (instead of sending his $27.5 million salary to a new team) but they would also absorb a much larger cap hit when trading him.
While it’s not a certainty that the Falcons would have restructured the Cousins contract if they absolutely were keeping him for 2025, the chances of a restructuring are nil, if they’re thinking about trading him.
And, yes, Cousins has a no-trade clause. But if his choice ultimately becomes waiving it and playing or not waiving it and sitting, why not waive it? Especially if he might also finagle a sweetener from a team that gets through the 2025 draft without an acceptable solution at the quarterback position.
If you missed it the first time, they’ve performed an encore. Sort of.
On the weekend of the Super Bowl, Bill Belichick’s girlfriend was walking around New Orleans in a T-shirt that trolled the Falcons for their loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The game included the Falcons blowing a 28-3 halftime lead.
Those wacky kids are at it again. She has posted an image on Instagram apparently from that day in February on the 28th day of March. As in 3-28. As in 28-3.
The move operates on another level, given that the Falcons interviewed — but didn’t hire — Belichick to be the team’s head coach in 2024.
It’s just another concrete example of how the one-time football curmudgeon has made a late-life pivot toward being the kind of guy the old Bill would have openly mocked and ridiculed.
The Falcons signed tight end Teagan Quitoriano on Friday, the team announced.
They also made the signing of German-born kicker Lenny Krieg official. The addition of Krieg previously was reported.
Quitoriano entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Texans in 2022, and he spent most of his first three seasons in Houston. He briefly was on the Bears’ practice squad last season before re-joining the Texans.
As a rookie for the Texans, Quitoriano appeared in nine games with six starts and caught seven of his 14 targets for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 16.1 yards per reception.
In 2023, Quitoriano appeared in seven games, starting five. He caught two of his three targets for 33 yards, averaging 16.5 yards per reception.
Quitoriano played seven games in 2024, starting four, but did not record any stats.
He spent time on injured reserve in each of his first three seasons, missing time in 2022 with a knee injury, undergoing surgery for a groin injury in 2023 and injuring a calf in 2024.
Quitoriano joins a tight ends room in Atlanta that features Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner and Feleipe Franks.
The Falcons agreed to terms with German-born kicker Lenny Krieg, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.
The team had Krieg on a free agent visit after he kicked at the NFL’s International Player Pathway program Pro Day Tuesday. Krieg had other trips scheduled but signed with the first team that hosted him.
Krieg also kicked at the Scouting Combine, making all of his tries.
The Falcons have Younghoe Koo coming off a right hip injury that landed him on injured reserve last season, and his replacement, Riley Patterson, also remains on their roster.
Krieg was a soccer player before watching YouTube and Instagram videos to learn how to kick an American football after his older brother returned from the University of Wisconsin excited about the game. Krieg kicked for the Stuttgart Surge in 2023 and 2024 before joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway.
The Falcons have restructured two more contracts.
The moves will save them a combined $20 million in cap space.
The team converted $12.5 million of salary into a bonus for safety AJ Terrell, saving $10 million. Offensive guard Chris Lindstrom also had $12.5 million of his salary converted into a bonus, reducing his cap number by $10 million.
Terrell is entering his sixth season, totaling 313 tackles, six interceptions and 49 passes defensed. Lindstrom has started 88 games in six seasons and made three Pro Bowls.
The Falcons earlier signed left tackle Jake Matthews to a two-year contract extension, freeing up $8.5 million.
The Falcons now have $12 million of cap space.
At his introductory news conference, Falcons edge rusher Leonard Floyd was asked what he will bring to the defense. Floyd called himself “a smoking gun.”
“Picture third down,” Floyd said, via Terrin Waack of the team website. “Third-and-6. Third-and-7. It’s time to get the quarterback. That’s when I show up. That’s what I’m here for.”
In nine seasons, Floyd twice has had double-digit sacks. He totaled 10.5 in 2020 and 2023.
Floyd, who has 66.5 career sacks, has had at least 8.5 sacks in each of the past five seasons.
His 2025 goal is a career-best 11 sacks.
“Getting my highest amount of sacks in one season, that’s my goal,” Floyd said. “It’s always been my goal, every season.”
Vic Beasley, who had 15.5 sacks in 2016, is the last Falcons player to have a double-digit sack season. The Falcons ranked 31st in the NFL with 31 sacks, led by Arnold Ebiketie’s six.
Floyd said he can help.
“We both know that I can do multiple things in the defense, and I’ve played in multiple schemes,” Floyd said. “I’m going to go out and do what I do best: buy into the playbook and buy into the coaching as well.”
The slow-moving (for now) quarterback carousel includes a veteran who is in no hurry to make a move — assuming his current team is even inclined to move him.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins remains a theoretical trade candidate, if the Falcons will trade him and if he’ll waive his no-trade clause.
There’s a wrinkle that relates to Cousins’s willingness to accept a trade to a new team. He wants to be sure he doesn’t get supplanted by a subsequent draft pick.
Via Albert Breer of SI.com, Cousins hopes “to avoid the situation he found himself in last April when he was blindsided by Atlanta’s decision to take Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick.” As a result, Cousins isn’t willing to take any team at their word. Instead, he wants to see what happens during the draft before deciding whether to waive the clause that prevents the Falcons’ from trading him without his permission.
None of this matters if the Falcons won’t trade Cousins. They might be truly willing to pay him $27.5 million to serve as the backup to Michael Penix Jr. in 2025.
The other question is whether a new team will take on Cousins’s full salary for 2025. If he’s going to be the starter, why wouldn’t they? And if the call comes from a team that still needs a quarterback after the draft ends, Cousins might be able to leverage a better deal from what could be, come early May, a desperate team.
So it’s smart, at this point, for Cousins to wait. As he learned the hard way last year, the quarterback deals made in March can quickly become undermined by the draft picks exercised in April.
With quarterback Jameis Winston joining the Giants, the group of teams looking for veteran signal-callers is shrinking.
It’s down to three obvious teams: Steelers, Browns, and Vikings.
Others could be looking for veterans, too. But those are the main three.
And the most obvious candidates are Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Ryan Tannehill (apparently), and Carson Wentz, who has been linked to the Browns.
Also, don’t rule out a potential Kirk Cousins trade.
Rodgers looms over everything, but as the Winston signing shows some teams are willing to move on. And with the Browns not linked to Rodgers at all (for now), they can move on Wilson or Wentz or whoever they want.
Regardless, the carousel is still spinning. And some big names are still waiting. Or keeping us waiting. Or some of both.
UPDATE 12:00 p.m. ET, 3/23/25: In response to this item, we’ve heard from multiple sources that the Giants remain in play for Russell Wilson.
Feleipe Franks is returning to Atlanta.
The Falcons announced the addition of the free agent tight end, and according to multiple reports, Franks is signing a one-year deal.
Franks, 27, originally joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He entered the NFL as a quarterback before moving to tight end in his first season.
He has mostly contributed on special teams, playing 113 offensive snaps and 432 on special teams in his career.
Franks spent last season in Carolina, playing a career-high 305 special teams snaps, collecting 10 special teams tackles and making his first career catch for 12 yards.
As a rookie in Atlanta, Franks played nine games. He had 14 offensive snaps and 36 on special teams, with three carries for 6 rushing yards and one pass attempt that was intercepted.
In 2022, Franks appeared in 11 games, starting one. He took 54 offensive snaps and 91 on special teams. His sole carry gained no yards, and he was targeted twice but did not catch either pass.
Franks was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a calf injury before the 2023 season.
Franks joins Kyle Pitts and Charlie Woerner in the tight ends room.
The Titans have signed veteran edge rusher Lorenzo Carter, the team announced Thursday.
He is the 10th free agent to sign with the Titans this offseason.
Carter spent the past three seasons with the Falcons. In 2014, he appeared in 13 games, with 11 starts, seeing action on 409 defensive snaps and 51 on special teams.
He had 32 tackles, no sacks and two quarterback hits.
The Giants made Carter a third-round pick in 2018, and he played four seasons in New York and three with the Falcons.
He has played 3,764 defensive snaps and 674 on special teams in 96 games with 62 starts. Carter has totaled 278 tackles, 18 passes defensed, 21.5 sacks and 58 quarterback hits.
