Two Doors Close on Atlanta Falcons, Kirk Cousins

The Atlanta Falcons are halfway playing the quarterback musical chairs free agency game this offseason. The team has its starter in Michael Penix Jr. but is also hoping to find another chair, via a trade, for veteran Kirk Cousins.

Two of those potential chairs are now occupied.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a contract with quarterback Sam Darnold. The deal in place is worth $100.5 million with $55 million guaranteed over three seasons.

In essence, it's a one-year deal for Darnold with two club options. If the Seahawks move on from Darnold after 2025, the team will have $17.5 million in dead cap money.

Darnold will receive $37.5 million in the first year of the deal.

Minutes after Darnold's deal, Rapoport reported Justin Fields agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract with the New York Jets. His new deal will include $30 million guaranteed.

The guaranteed amounts for both quarterbacks are giant sums of money. But both quarterbacks basically landed "prove it" deals.

The Seahawks elected that over signing Geno Smith to another extension.

Even after moving on from Smith, Seattle was likely never going to be a team interested in Cousins. Age was probably a main reason the Seahawks decided to pursue Darnold and trade Smith.

Darnold will celebrate his 28th birthday in June while Smith turns 35 in October.

Cousins is even older. He will turn 37 during the 2025 preseason.

The Jets, though, were a more likely trade destination for Cousins. Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who signed Cousins to a record-setting deal in 2018, is a senior football adviser in the Jets organization. That linked Cousins to the Jets in trade rumors before free agency.

With Fields heading to the Jets, though, the Pittsburgh Steelers are quickly becoming an interesting possibility for Cousins. Pundits also connected the Steelers to Cousins through trade rumors in January and February, but Pittsburgh seemed focused on re-signing either Fields or Russell Wilson.

Wilson remains unsigned, but it's unclear where he is on Pittsburgh's quarterback pecking order.

Granted, it's not clear where Cousins is on that pecking order either. But it's possible the Steelers prefer a trade for Cousins over running it back with Wilson or signing Aaron Rodgers in free agency.