It’s completely unreasonable to expect Cousins to be on this roster by the time training camp rolls around … but no trade is imminent according to recent reports.
Kirk Cousins would be an extremely expensive backup for the Atlanta Falcons, which is why it makes zero sense for the team to keep him on the roster. But thanks to a no-trade clause in Cousins’ four-year, $180 million contract, it’s not really up to them.
And Cousins is apparently not in any hurry to make this easier for Atlanta.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Cousins isn’t interested in waiving that no-trade clause until he knows which potential destinations will draft a quarterback this year. He’d like to avoid the situation he found himself in during last year’s draft, when the team “blindsided” him by drafting Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall.
I get where Cousins is coming from to an extent with regard to the Falcons drafting Penix, but I also think it’s overblown. Cousins’ contract alone demonstrated he was expected to be the starter, and being able to snag a guy who should become the long-term answer at quarterback before they desperately needed to address the position is smart team-building. Having Michael Penix on the sideline may have made it easier to bench Cousins, but Cousins was benched because his play made it necessary — not because they wanted Penix to take over at that specific point in time.
I can’t emphasize enough that the Falcons do not have much leverage in this situation, in part because of the no-trade clause, in part because they owe Cousins so much money, and in part because Cousins did not look like a quality NFL starter down the back stretch of the season. I will be surprised if any trade happens without Atlanta taking on some of Cousins’ contract.
What do you think will happen with Cousins? What’s your best case and worst case scenario here? Talk through it in the comments.