The Atlanta Falcons opened OTAs on Tuesday, but one absence stood out: Kirk Cousins.
Cousins wasn’t the only notable player missing — tight end Kyle Pitts and several others also didn’t participate in the voluntary workouts. But Cousins’ absence speaks louder than the rest.
The Falcons and Cousins are actively trying to part ways, with both sides hoping to find a suitable trade partner. The problem? As June approaches, the options are dwindling fast.
At this point, the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be the only realistic possibility — and even that hinges on whether Aaron Rodgers retires. Otherwise, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio put it, the best course of action is for Cousins to “stay home, remain in shape, and both sides wait for a trade opportunity to emerge.”
“Cousins will get his game checks in the amount of $1.52 million per week, the Falcons won’t have to worry about Cousins’s presence undermining Penix, and all it takes is one injury to a starting quarterback before the trade deadline and problem solved,” Florio wrote.
That $1.52 million weekly paycheck stems from the four-year, $180 million deal Cousins signed last offseason, which included $100 million in guarantees.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The concern in Atlanta has been that Cousins, even as a backup, could become a distraction and potentially derail rookie Michael Penix Jr.’s development.
Florio added that teams get desperate when a starting quarterback goes down — and pointed to the Minnesota Vikings’ frantic search for a replacement after Cousins tore his Achilles in 2023.
“If someone like Cousins had been available, the Vikings would have tried to trade for him,” Florio said.
For now, the Falcons appear stuck in a holding pattern. The NFL trade deadline isn’t until the Tuesday after Week 9 — meaning this saga could drag on for quite a while.