Many around the NFL expected the Atlanta Falcons to release quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason, moving on from their $100 million free-agency signing just one year after landing him. Instead, Atlanta has kept him on the roster and might now be successful in trading him.
The Falcons made their intentions with Cousins clear in March when he remained with the team on the fifth day of the league year, earning him a $10 million roster bonus. Atlanta didn’t want to give Cousins away for free and with tens of millions of dollars already paid out to him, ownership was fine with paying another $10 million on March 17.
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- Kirk Cousins contract (Spotrac): $40 million cap hit in 2025
At the time of the decision, the Falcons saw a market that still had several quarterback-needy teams with few reliable veterans on the open market. Keeping Cousins was a risky strategy, especially with many clubs eyeing the 2025 NFL Draft for help at the quarterback position, but it could soon pay off.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic shared that based on what she’s hearing, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cousins is traded to the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
“I don’t know how far along it is right now. I just know there’s enough smoke around this and enough conversations being had that this would not be a surprising move. Knowing Kevin Stefanski, coached Kirk Cousins when he was in Minnesota, it makes a lot of sense on why that would work.”
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on a potential Kirk Cousins trade between Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns
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- Kirk Cousins stats (ESPN): 3,508 passing yards, 18-16 TD-INT, 66.9% completion rate, 7.7 ypa, 88.6 QB rating, 28 sacks taken in 14 games
Cleveland has been linked to a variety of quarterback options in NFL rumors all offseason. When Atlanta first held onto Cousins, the Browns’ attention became focused on Russell Wilson. After he signed with the New York Giants, there was more chatter of Cleveland taking Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick.
It now appears that acquiring Cousins in a deal with Atlanta has become a bigger priority. Doing so would allow the Browns to use the second overall pick on edge rusher Abdul Carter, adding a potential perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher to pair opposite Myles Garrett. While it would still leave the team without long-term certainty at quarterback, being more competitive in 2025 would help maintain the job security of the coaching staff.
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