Kirk Cousins May Not Have Been Completely Honest with Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins opened a can of worms during an interview with NFL Network on Feb. 4.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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Quarterback Kirk Cousins very likely wasn't healthy at any point for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2024 campaign. Cousins returned from an Achilles tendon tear less than 10 months later. From Week 1, it was rather clear he couldn't move around as much as he probably would have liked.

But for the first time on Feb. 4, Cousins revealed he was dealing with another injury in November. Cousins told NFL Network's Good Morning, Football host Jamie Erdahl that he suffered right shoulder and elbow injury while playing the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 10.

"Nobody is perfect in this league. We're never feeling 100%," Cousins told Erdahl. "[The achilles] didn't really affect me too much. But then against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow. From there, kind of dealing with that was something I was working through.

"Just never could really get it to where I wanted it. Now that the season, you have the time and energy to say, 'Ok, let's get the right ankle back, let's get the right shoulder back, let's get the elbow back.' And if we can do that, feel like I have a new life ahead of me in pro football."

Where to begin? This is noteworthy for several reasons.

Cousins was a limited participant in practice on Nov. 13, the Wednesday after the Saints matchup where the quarterback claims to have injured his throwing shoulder and elbow. But he was a full participant the rest of the week and wasn't on the injury report again the entire season.

Based on what Cousins told Erdahl on Feb. 4, he probably should have been on the injury report through at least his benching. What's hazy, though, is what the Falcons did and didn't know or how much Cousins disclosed about his injury.

It's possible Cousins downplayed his injury from the start in fear of losing his starting job to rookie signal caller Michael Penix Jr.

Of course, that eventually happened anyway because of Cousins' poor play. Cousins threw only one touchdown with nine interceptions in his final five games, four of which occured after the Saints matchup where the veteran quarterback sustained the hit to his right shoulder and elbow.

After the season, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot clearly stated Cousins' drop off in play was not the result of injury.

But it makes a lot more sense if Cousins' downturn was the result of an injury. In the two games prior to facing the Saints, he completed 79% of his passes for seven touchdowns with no interceptions.

He went from a fringe top 10 NFL quarterback to a guy who shouldn't have been starting in the matter of about two weeks.

Cousins didn't dive into details about what he told the Falcons about his injury during his Good Morning, Football appearance. Previously, he never mentioned the injuries to his right shoulder and elbow publicly.

“No. Going back to the turnovers, I think that's more probably decision-making than anything," Cousins said on Dec. 18 about whether his health was a factor in his benching. "That wouldn't have anything to do with any physical limitations, so I wouldn't say so.”

That echoed what Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said at the same time.

“No, it was just a football decision," Morris said of Cousins' benching.

Social media users speculated on Feb. 4 whether the Falcons were aware Cousins was hiding his right shoulder and elbow injury. If the team was, the result could be a significant fine.

But Falcons fans shouldn't care about that. If the team was aware Cousins played poorly in Week 11 as the result of an injury, it would have been malpractice to start him again in Weeks 13-15 with the same ailment.

The possibility that that occurred is now seemingly on the table.

It's also worth considering that Cousins went on TV on Feb. 4 to play spin doctor. It now benefits him to say his downturn was the result of a right shoulder and elbow injury.

If he can convince potential suitors that he will be the October version of himself in 2025, then Cousins will have a significantly better market.

Which, ironically, the Falcons could benefit from via a trade. But for now, Cousins' injury remark to Erdahl on Feb. 4 opened a big can of worms.


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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB

Dave is a staff writer at Falcon Report. He also writes at Yardbarker, Southern Pigskin, Cox Media, and Rotowire. Follow him on Twitter @dmholcomb.