The Athletic’s Dianna Russini says the Steelers, Browns and Vikings are three teams worth monitoring for a potential trade for Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.
Russini notes a deal could be done on Saturday after the first two days of the draft when there’s clarity on where the quarterbacks in this class land and which teams still need help at the position.
She admits the Vikings might be the least likely, even though they’re looking for a backup/insurance for QB J.J. McCarthy and are familiar with Cousins. Russini points out Cousins does not want to land in a situation with another young quarterback nipping at his heels and has a no-trade clause.
The Steelers are still waiting on a decision from QB Aaron Rodgers and Cousins is a more established player than the current top option on the depth chart in Pittsburgh, QB Mason Rudolph.
The Browns are viewed as unlikely to pursue Cousins after adding both Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett this offseason, but HC Kevin Stefanski did call plays for Cousins for a couple of seasons in Minnesota.
Cousins reported to OTAs this week despite the Falcons not necessarily expecting him to attend voluntary work as he pursues a trade. Atlanta has reportedly been asking teams to take $20 million of his salary in a trade, which has understandably been a tough sell, though GM Terry Fontenot disputed that characterization today.
Cousins, 36, is a former fourth-round pick of Washington back in 2012. He played out the final year of his rookie contract before being franchised in back-to-back seasons.
Cousins later departed in free agency for a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2020 when he agreed to a two-year, $66 million contract extension. In 2021, he agreed to a new one-year, $35 million contract extension that was also fully guaranteed.
He played out the final year of that deal in 2023 and was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when he inked a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed with the Falcons.
In 2024, Cousins appeared in 14 games for the Falcons and completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
We’ll have more on Cousins as the news is available.
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