Kirk Cousins’ time in Atlanta appears to be coming to an unceremonious end just nine months after signing with the Falcons in free agency. What began with dreams of a Super Bowl ring have no turned into the team pivoting to start rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. in an attempt to evaluate their future and turn the page.
Cousins signed a 4 year, $180M deal with the Falcons in March, which many have assumed makes him impossible to trade. However, the details of the contract make it that Cousins isn’t just easily tradable, but could be one of the more coveted available quarterbacks on the market — seriously.
Going into 2025 without a plan at quarterback is a horrific situation to be in. The upcoming draft class will be led by Shedeur Sanders out of Colorado and Miami’s Cam Ward, and then it’s a wasteland. Free agency won’t be much better, with the likes of Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson being available, but both will command massive money and long-term commitments.
If we assume that the Raiders and Giants will both draft quarterbacks in 2025 (as our latest mock from J.P. Acosta has them doing), then we still reliably have the Browns, Vikings, Steelers, and potentially the Jets and Titans looking for passers. Desperation can make for curious bedfellows, and its here where Cousins could find a home.
Why could Kirk Cousins be traded easily?
It’s not about the total length and size of the contract, and entirely that the Falcons structured the deal with relatively little guaranteed money based on other modern QB contracts. Cousins’ deal contained $40M in guarantees, with only $27.5M remaining on the deal in 2025 for the new team to pay.
That means it would be entirely possible for Cousins to become a relative “value pick” in a market where the likes of Darnold or Wilson could command $40-50M a year with a growing salary cap.
This also means that if Cousins wants to continue playing (and starting) then he might need to take less money so he could compete, and with career earnings that are already over $280M there would likely be a willingness to take a cut in 2025 on a “prove it” deal.
Three teams most likely to trade for Kirk Cousins
While there might be broader interest, there are really three teams that make the most sense here.
Cleveland Browns
The deal for Deshaun Watson will go down in NFL history as the worst quarterback trade of all time, and potentially the worst trade in the history of football. Watson is abysmal, and actively destroyed any playoff hopes the Browns had in 2024 with his horrific play, poor understanding of the game, and inability to perform at a moderate level that could be paired with Cleveland’s phenomenal defense.
Cousins makes a lot of sense as someone who can stabilize a franchise, and nobody needs stabilizing more than the Browns. Kevin Stefanski is a brilliant coach, but almost fell victim to Watson’s ineptitude — and that makes someone likes Cousins a perfect short term option while the franchise attempts to find a new QB in a future, better draft class.
The team has weapons on both sides of the ball. It just needs a decent hand at the helm. Cousins can be that guy.
Minnesota Vikings
A return to the Twin Cities really isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds. The Vikings have done phenomenally well with Sam Darnold, but it’s unclear if they want to make a massive commitment to him with a new contract, and we still might be another year away from seeing if J.J. McCarthy has what it takes as an NFL starter.
This opens the door for Minnesota and their aims of a “competitive rebuild,” where they want to retool the team while still winning games. This organization knows exactly who Cousins is and what he can bring to the table. More importantly they know he can win within their system.
It would be a solid landing spot for Cousins to play for a year, establish himself again, and potentially find a new home in 2025 if he’s able to bounce back to Pro Bowl levels — which wouldn’t be too difficult with the likes of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
New York Jets
When it comes to QB talk you always need to put the Jets in the mix. Here we’d supposed that Aaron Rodgers would retire from football and start his own podcast, which feels like an even-money bet at this point.
Still desperate to win, and having no luck with QBs in the draft, it could open the door for a different kind of vetern run with Cousins at the helm. A lot would depend on who the Jets pick for general manager and head coach, but wilder things have happened.
This is another franchise that doesn’t need drama. If there’s one thing Cousins is good at it’s not creating drama.
What are the odds Cousins is traded?
It all depends on how Michael Penix Jr. looks in the upcoming weeks, but even if he struggles it feels like the end of the Cousins era in Atlanta. It’s unlikely he would be satisfied with a role on the bench as a veteran mentor, still believing he can be a top-level QB — and to be fair, at times this season he has.
It feels like we have about a 70 percent chance of Cousins being dealt prior to next season. A cap-friendly contract and low-risk commitment would allow the Falcons to turn the page and truly rebuild, while any number of teams desperately trying to keep their window open would be open to the idea of him starting for them.
Cousins isn’t perfect, but teams could do a lot worse and the biggest risk right now is overpaying the wrong player, rather than underperforming with the wrong one.
