Will Falcons Trade Kirk Cousins During Draft? Atlanta Open 'If it Helps the Team'

The Atlanta Falcons are one day away from adding a prized first-round draft pick -- but the bigger, broader story may center around the end of another once-prized player's tenure.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins is in Flowery Branch, Ga., for the start of the team's offseason program, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said in his pre-draft press conference Wednesday. It's uncertain whether Cousins will still call the Falcons his employer by Saturday night, when the 2025 NFL draft concludes.

The 36-year-old Cousins went against conventional wisdom by showing up to IBM Performance Field on Tuesday after expressing his desire to play elsewhere in 2025. But Fontenot said Cousins's arrival didn't catch him off guard.

"I wouldn't say it's a surprise," Fontenot said. "This is a voluntary thing, and so whether a player comes or doesn't come, we have a lot of really good professionals that we know, whether they're here or somewhere else, they're going to really take care of their body. And obviously, Kirk is one of those guys.

"These guys, they put it in a lot with what they do, and so they deserve times with their families if they decide not to come or to come. So, I wouldn't say it was a surprise."

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris previously said at the annual league meetings April 1 he didn't expect Cousins to show up for organized team activites or any other voluntary workouts.

Cousins's situation is fluid, and his location and role in 2025 remains one of the NFL's biggest questions. The draft presents the next opportunity for his exit from the Falcons -- one year after being on the receiving end of Atlanta's surprising selection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall.

The Falcons, who have only five picks, will be fielding phone calls throughout the draft to maneuver the board. Fontenot said he's unsure whether he'll get any additional calls about Cousins.

"We'll see," Fontenot said. "You never know. A big part of this is going into these weeks, there are a lot of phone calls with me and other GMs, and also with our entire staff, the pro staff, looking at surplus and looking at where there's needs in other areas, and so there's always in-draft trades. There's also after the draft, depending on what happens, things really shift.

"So, with Kirk or anybody else, I couldn't really anticipate that right now. It just depends."

Multiple NFL insiders have speculated the Falcons may Cousins on Friday or Saturday.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said Tuesday on "The Insiders" that Cousins is "one we're going to watch as get into Day 2." The Athletic's Dianna Russini wrote if Cousins is traded, she expects it to be Saturday, the draft's third day. Both referenced they don't expect Cousins to waive his no-trade clause for a team with a first-round quarterback, as he hopes to avoid a repeat of 2024.

But insiders have been wrong before -- and recently -- about the Falcons' business happenings. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Atlanta has asked any acquiring team to take on $20 million of the $37.5 million remaining on Cousins's contract.

Fontenot said Wednesday the report is inaccurate.

"If we get an offer on any player, we have to look at it and say, 'Is this going to help our team? Is this the betterment of our team?'" Fontenot said. "And then we'll do it with Kirk or anyone else. It comes down to that. But the report that says there's a specific number, that's not accurate. We haven't said that."

The Falcons have, however, said they're comfortable keeping Cousins as a backup, and Morris said the team is unconcerned about any negative impacts on Penix.

So, as Fontenot prepares for his fifth draft as Atlanta's general manager, he's focused on adding impact players -- but the Falcons are willing to listen if another team calls about Cousins.

"In reference to Kirk, with any player, like we've always said, 'Hey, look, we're going to do what's best for this football team,'" Fontenot said. "Whether it's a trade or wherever it is, we're open to whatever it is if it's going to help the team."