Kirk Cousins's 'Grown Man Conversation' on Playing Atlanta Falcons Preseason Games

In a perfect world, the Atlanta Falcons would have gotten a suitable trade offer in the offseason for Kirk Cousins and unloaded a good chunk of his $27.5 million guaranteed salary for 2024.

After all, if having a backup quarterback was worth a $40 million salary cap hit, you’d see more teams do it.

Considering the high price tag and the way Cousins’s season ended last year, it’s no surprise teams weren’t banging on general manager Terry Fontenot’s door trying to get a starting quarterback during the offseason.

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However, both the Falcons and Cousins seem to have come to an understanding that one more season together might be the only option. Both parties seem to be playing nice through training camp.

Head coach Raheem Morris sees a healthy Cousins significantly ahead of where he was a year ago, as he was coming off a season-ending Achilles injury while preparing to start Week 1 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Falcons’ starting quarterback.

“He's been really good,” said Morris of Cousins’s performance through training camp. “You're talking about going through progressions and actually throwing the ball wherever you need to throw it. He has the ability to come out of the pocket a little bit better than this time last year, coming off a significant injury. That's dramatically improved, like it improved throughout the season. So, when you're just talking about the windows of time and what he had last year. OTA days, it (injury) was fresh. Training camp, it was better. In the season, he was fine, and then he went through what we had to do.”

Michael Penix Jr. got his first start of the season for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 against the New York Giants. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

What the Falcons had to do was bench Cousins after a 1-4 stretch that sunk the Falcons’ playoff hopes, while throwing one touchdown vs. nine interceptions.

The Falcons take on the Tennessee Titans on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. EST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

There is a train of thought that showcasing Cousins in the preseason to show he’s fully healthy might enhance his trade value, or at least restore his confidence.

Morris is only thinking about what’s best for the Falcons with Cousins as their backup quarterback. In essence, leaving it up to the 14-year veteran to decide how much work he wants in the final two preseason games.

"No, Kirk Cousins' problem last year, when we had to make the change, was turnovers,” Morris answered when asked if playing Cousins in the preseason would help get Cousins back on track. “All things that I can evaluate within the steady confines of what we're doing right now. So, if we feel like we want to get him out there, just to get him some work, and I'm going to definitely compromise with a guy that's been playing the league for that long.

“He knows the amount of work he requires. He knows exactly what he needs to be ready. And I'm definitely going to communicate with him, different than with Michael Penix, different than with anybody else on the football team when you're talking about that kind of a vet.

“There are only a few other guys kind of like that, we’re talking about David [Onyemata]. We're talking about Bradley Pinion. You're talking about Aaron Rodgers. You're talking about guys with significant experience that I can have that grown-man conversation with, and Kirk definitely fits that bill.”

Cousins, knowing his role was determined before setting foot in training camp, may have affected his performance so far, but if it were an open competition, Michael Penix has been the clear winner this summer.

Michael Penix Jr. has been the clear top performer at Atlanta Falcons training camp. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

As Cousins has settled into his role as backup, Morris is thrilled with how the veteran is working with Penix as he embraces his role as a first-year starter.

“I really love where he's at from a communication standpoint with Mike [Penix], from his coaches,” Morris said. “I really love where he's at from a communication standpoint with us, and it's one of the things that you just can't give him enough credit for. I knew, obviously, the swirling winds of the bad human of every person that comes out, he's not that, and those are the things that I was really confident in when I knew he can be here and be doing everything he needs to get done.

“Again, I don't blame him for wanting to go somewhere else and try to start. It is what it is, that's not his fault. I think it's about the explanation of us being absolutely upfront and personal with him, and we've got the best results from him.”

Father Time is ticking on Kirk Cousins, and the 37-year-old (birthday August 19th) knows his days are numbered in the NFL. Sure, he’d rather be a starter, but the reality of the offseason showed him there wasn’t a big market for an aging quarterback coming off a poor season.

And $100 million for 14 starts makes for good severance pay.