This might be the sign we’ve been waiting for that a Kirk Cousins trade is on the way, with Stick as Michael Penix’s backup.
Last year, the Atlanta Falcons traded Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers after signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix. This year, they’re signing the man Heinicke supplanted as Justin Herbert’s backup. The expectation should be that he’ll potentially take over as Penix’s backup, pending a Cousins trade, or at least serve as a very capable third quarterback.
That player would be Easton Stick, the man seemingly named after a brand of baseball bat and a former Chargers fifth round pick. Stick had spent his entire career with Los Angeles after entering the league in 2019, capping off the 2023 season by serving as the starter in relief of an injured Herbert. Stick has three touchdowns, 1,129 passing yards, and an interception in his career, with all but four of those yards coming from that starting stint in 2023. He also scrambled 28 times for 142 yards and a touchdown, showing enough mobility to occasionally be dangerous outside of the pocket.
A quarterback with a decent arm who can move fairly well and had a solid stretch as a fill-in starter is about as good as it gets at this point in the offseason, and the Falcons probably feel confident Stick could hold down the fort for a game or two in dire circumstances. The question is whether he’ll do so as the backup or the third quarterback.
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall notes that Cousins is not expected to report for voluntary workouts this week, so Stick’s signing gives Atlanta another quarterback option for the moment, as well. The Falcons also have Emory Jones under contract to compete with Stick for a role.
With recent reports that the Falcons are still mulling moving Kirk Cousins—duh—and the 2025 NFL Draft fast approaching, it was a logical time to add another player to the quarterback room in case a move materializes. If it doesn’t and Cousins is indeed here for the long haul, Stick is an excellent third quarterback option; if it does, Stick is a limited but capable backup. Either way, it’s a perfectly fine signing, and does thankfully answer the question of what the team’s plan is if a trade happens in the next few days.
Give Stick a warm welcome, if you would.