QB Kirk Cousins 'Has Incentives' to Attend Falcons OTAs: Columnist

The Atlanta Falcons have sent mixed signal callers on the potential attendance of quarterback Kirk Cousins at the team's workouts this offseason.

First, head coach Raheem Morris said he wasn't "going to be foolish to think" Cousins would attend voluntary workouts this spring. But then, general manager Terry Fontenot expressed he wasn't surprised that Cousins was at the team's facility on the first day of the offseason program on April 22.

The AJC's Michael Cunningham argued Thursday there are several self-serving reasons for Cousins' attendance.

"Cousins has incentives to be professional about his situation. He’s due $27.5M in 2025, whether he’s on the roster or not, but why give the Falcons a reason to try to claw any of it back?" Cunningham wrote. "Teams also might be less inclined to trade for Cousins if he makes a fuss about being the backup. He may have to compete for the starting job if he lands elsewhere.

"The situation would be more difficult if Cousins raised a ruckus about his unmet request for a trade,"

While true, Cousins making it easier for the Falcons to keep him is a strategy few pundits expected the quarterback to follow this offseason. If he does that, it's seemingly less likely he lands with a new team this summer.

Cunningham is right. Pouting from home is not a respectable way to get what one wants. But NFL players try the tactic regularly, and it often works. So, it was fully expected that Cousins wouldn't "play nice."

Most NFL players, though, don't have two kids in school like Cousins does. CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones mentioned them on April 18 as potentially playing a significant role in the quarterback's current situation

"Cousins' kids will enter second and first grades next school year, and he moved them three times last year. The Falcons are aware that his family will be a huge consideration the later this goes," wrote Jones.

Cousins could try not showing up to Atlanta's offseason workouts to force a trade. If he did that, the Falcons might be forced to lower their trade demands.

But there's no guarantee a trade would happen before the Georgia school year begins on Aug. 1.

If Cousins knows he's going to veto any trade, which he has the right to do, after Aug. 1 because of his kids, then there's a much higher chance he plays for the Falcons in 2025. That would give him a lot more incentive to play nice with the Falcons and show up to offseason workouts.

Cunningham didn't delve into the impact Cousins' family could have on a potential trade. But he still concluded the team and quarterback "might be stuck together" for 2025.