REPORT: MSU's Cousins' Future with Atlanta Could Again Be in Jeopardy
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After a long season of trade speculation, former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins ultimately remained with the Atlanta Falcons.
Cousins seemed to feel content with where things were at when he got to OTAs, but after one week of preseason, the outlook on his role with Atlanta looks even worse than before.
The Falcons opted not to play Michael Penix Jr. or Cousins in their first preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Friday. Instead, they went with former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick, whom they picked up back in April.
Easton Stick impressed against Lions
Stick, who played for North Dakota State, became the all-time winningest quarterback in FCS history. Six years after entering the league, he is looking for a resurgence, and he made quite the statement in Friday's game. And that could spell trouble for Cousins.
"If the Falcons were to find a trade partner for quarterback Kirk Cousins, they might be comfortable with Easton Stick as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup," wrote ESPN's Mark Raimondi. "Stick, a free agent signing from the Los Angeles Chargers, was 15-of-18 passing for 149 yards and a touchdown. Stick's 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Blair put the Falcons ahead 10-7 with :34 left in the first half."
Look, people might be looking at this too hard. After all, there's a reason the Falcons didn't play Penix or Cousins on Friday. So, Cousins will likely keep his backup job.
But Raimondi does bring up a good point. If what was holding Atlanta back from trading Cousins was the stability of a backup for the young Penix, it may feel more inclined now to hear offers.
We also don't know everything going on behind the scenes, though. It seems the Falcons very much like having Cousins in the locker room, and how could you not? For all we know, they may not even be considering the idea and feel just fine going into the season with Cousins mentoring Penix and serving as a great backup option if they need to call on him.
Stick played well, and that's the expectation. That could be all there is to it.
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