Kirk Cousins has started for almost the entirety of this 13-season NFL career.
And with a four-year, $180 million contract including $100 million in guarantees, he’s being paid by the Atlanta Falcons like a starting NFL quarterback. But he is, in fact, not a starter.
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It’s a fact that Cousins acknowledged on Tuesday when he showed up for Atlanta’s mandatory minicamp, weeks after skipping Atlanta’s voluntary OTAs.
Cousins spoke about his status with reporters.
“Obviously, you’d love to play,” Cousins said. “But I’m not gonna dwell on things that aren’t reality in terms of — that’s not the situation I’m in.
“It’s better spent to be focused on the situation that I’m in and controlling what you can control. I think that’s the right mindset to have.”
The Falcons signed Cousins last offseason with the apparent intention of Cousins being their starter for multiple seasons. Then, weeks later, they selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft, throwing Atlanta’s quarterback room into turmoil.
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The job remained Cousins’. You don’t sign a guy for $45 million per season then immediately put him on the bench. But Cousins struggled during his first season with the Falcons and lost his job late in the campaign. He enters offseason minicamp second on the Falcons depth chart to Penix.
Penix takes over, leaving high-priced Cousins on the bench
Atlanta’s offense flailed during a midseason four-game losing streak in which Cousins threw zero touchdowns and eight interceptions. Cousins and Atlanta’s offense struggled again as the Falcons squeaked by a bad Las Vegas Raiders team in Week 15, and head coach Raheem Morris had seen enough.
Morris named Penix the starter for Week 16, and the rookie quarterback spent the last three games of the season leading Atlanta’s offense. In five appearances including three starts, Penix completed 58.1% of his passes for 6.7 yards per attempt with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
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Penix closed his rookie campaign with his best performance of the season, completing 21 of 38 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers in overtime, 44-38. But Atlanta’s offense had shown signs of life that had disappeared at the end of Cousins’ tenure as starter.
Kirk Cousins, right, remains a high-priced back up to Michael Penix Jr. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Will Falcons be able to trade Cousins?
Penix is slated to be Atlanta’ starter this season, leaving Cousins in limbo as a high-priced backup. Cousins, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, would presumably like to be somewhere that he can play. He said as much on Tuesday.
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The Falcons would presumably prefer to have his contract off the books if they can swing a deal. But they seem content to keep him on the roster as Penix’s backup in the absence of a deal as he’s due $27.5 million in guaranteed money whether he’s released or not.
There were salary cap incentives for the Falcons to wait until a June 1 deadline to trade Cousins. That deadline has passed, and the trade market for a 36-year-old Cousins who suffered a late-career Achilles injury playing on a $180 million contract isn’t ripe.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were the last team without an established plan at quarterback, and they resolved that last week with the signing of Aaron Rodgers that was anticipated.
For now, Atlanta’s best bet of trading Cousins is for an injury to occur elsewhere in the league.
