Morris: Falcons 'Feel Very Strongly' About Kirk Cousins as Backup QB

WEST PALM, Fla. -- For the second consecutive year at the NFL owners meetings, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris answered a bevy of questions about quarterback Kirk Cousins.

But this time around, the tone -- and context -- was much different.

Once the shiny new toy after signing a four-year contract worth up to $180 million, Cousins is at a crossroads with the Falcons.

And there's been no movement in his position since Falcons coach Raheem Morris spoke with reporters at the end of the season, at the NFL combine and again at the annual league meetings: Publicly, Atlanta is comfortable -- if not growing more appealed -- to the idea of Cousins serving as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup quarterback.

"Everything's the same as far as how we felt about Kirk at any point," Morris said Tuesday in Palm Beach, Florida. "We still feel very strongly about Kirk being our backup quarterback. We still feel very strongly about the human, still feel very strongly about where he stands right now.

"Obviously, we know this is a business. There will be some business aspects to everything you do."

The Falcons already made one business decision this spring, keeping Cousins on their roster past the fifth day of the league year, which triggered a $10 million roster bonus for 2026.

Now, they need to make another: figuring out his future.

Atlanta set up meetings with Cousins, who had one-on-ones with Morris, owner Arthur Blank and others. Morris said he believed general manager Terry Fontenot also sat down with Cousins.

The initial report of the meetings centered around Cousins meeting only with Blank. Morris alluded to the point there was much more to it.

"Not done in any type of negative way; it's not going over head," Morris said. "It was him expressing his feelings, being able to get out his points. He's very calculated when he does those things. When you talk about anything -- football growth, football movement -- that's how he's always been.

"And he'll continue to be that way no matter where he is, what he is."

There's much uncertainty about the "where" Morris mentioned. But the Falcons' second-year coach has a good idea of where Cousins won't be: voluntary team activities, headlined by OTAs.

"I'm not crazy," Morris said. "I do know OTA days (are) voluntary, and it'd be treated as such, but when it comes down to it, and it gets to the decision making process, and the points we got to get to, we'll feel comfortable on who Kirk is and what he is as a man, who he is as a human, who he is as a family man, everything he means to us."

Morris later said he's "not going to be foolish to think (Cousins is) going to show up for voluntary work right now," and he won't get worked up or angry about such a scenario.

Part of his feelings stem from the depth of the relationship Morris has with Cousins. It spans back to 2012 with the now-Washington Commanders, and Morris knows Cousins's wife, Julie, and their kids quite well.

The Falcons navigated an awkward situation last summer when they drafted Penix a month and a half after signing Cousins to a contract that included $90 million guaranteed along with the newly added $10 million roster bonus.

At the time, Morris lauded Cousins's professionalism. Now in a different situation but with similarly heavy emotions, Morris believes he and Cousins can navigate these waves, too.

And Morris doesn't think the Falcons' offseason drama with Cousins brings a definite end to their pairing.

"I definitely understand where we're at. I definitely understand the thought. I definitely understand what's going to be set up into that point. Not foolish," Morris said. "But at the end of the day, this goes back to 2012. This is one of the situations we can resolve if we have to."

Cousins lost his starting spot after throwing just one touchdown and nine interceptions over his final five starts. In a television appearance the week before the Super Bowl, Cousins said he suffered shoulder and elbow injuries in Atlanta's Week 10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, which started his five-game slide.

Morris reiterated the Falcons' stance on Cousins's claim Monday.

"It was fun for us to get to 6-3 to compete for the division, and then we just didn't play well," Morris said. "And I know it's been well documented throughout the offseason of talking about injuries -- those things, you have to ask him. The only injuries that we have were the ones that were reported."

Atlanta put Cousins on the injury report the Wednesday after losing to New Orleans due to elbow and shoulder injuries, but he called it a clerical error at the time and fully participated in practice the rest of the season.

Morris acknowledged the Achilles injury Cousins suffered in 2023 was "definitely" a part of his slow start to the season, during which he averaged 216 passing yards per game and threw the same number of touchdowns (four) as interceptions.

But Morris felt Cousins hit a growth point and moved past it. He won two NFC Player of the Week awards in Weeks 5 and 8. Then, Cousins's play fell off. He's cited injuries. Atlanta has pointed to decision making.

Regardless, the Falcons benched Cousins after Week 15, and they have no intentions of promoting him to the starting job at any point moving forward.

Cousins, however, wants another chance at it -- whether that be in Atlanta or somewhere else.

"We do know he would like an opportunity to be a starter again," Morris said. "We're just telling you we're very comfortable with him being our backup because of who the human is, who the man is. And when those things come up, those things are always talked about immediately."

Morris said he hasn't directly talked to Cousins about his no-trade clause, adding there's no need for such a discussion when the Falcons don't know which team Cousins would be waiving it for.

Those discussions will start when Fontenot speaks with Cousins's agent, Mike McCartney, at an undisclosed time. But as the waiting game unfolds, Atlanta is unconcerned about any potential side effects or distractions that could come with keeping Cousins inside the walls of an organization he evidently doesn't want to be part of anymore.

"I think Michael's (an) unfazed human as we learned about him," Morris said. "I don't even want to put it all on Michael, I just know how good of a person Kirk is. Like, Kirk's got too much respect for the game, got too much respect for Michael and that room and the coaches -- he's just not that type of guy."

Yet while the Falcons feel Cousins has the character necessary to be a viable backup to Penix, Morris stressed they're not holding the 36-year-old hostage.

"We want to see him go out and be the best version of himself," Morris said. "This is not a thing where we're holding you back if the opportunity presents itself into something that's good for both of us -- good for the Falcons and Kirk Cousins."