Kirk Cousins On the Move? NFL.com's Bold Predictions

While much of the trade buzz surrounding Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons dissipated after mini-camp, it hasn't gone away completely.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said all the right things at mini-camp about his backup role to Michael Penix Jr. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

When Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot set off on his quest to find a suitor for quarterback Kirk Cousins, getting some kind of value in return was the organizational goal.

The market was relatively dry for a soon-to-be 37-year-old quarterback coming off a series of games that got him benched in favor of former No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. 

Entering headlong into an injury lottery becomes the unfortunate, but somewhat inevitable reset position for all concerned. The misfortune of a contending team losing a starter could see them approaching the Falcons for their veteran backup.  

In his bold predictions for the 2025 NFL season, NFL.com’s Jeff Chadiha predicts Cousins will eventually be on the move and start for a team other than the Falcons this year.  

“It's so difficult to navigate an NFL season, and it's a safe bet that some hopeful team eventually will need quarterback help because of injury,” Chadiha wrote on NFL.com. “(Dak) Prescott was one of four different signal-callers who didn't finish last season because of injury. Two years ago, the Browns started five quarterbacks, while the Vikings and Jets each started four. It's a fact of life: Quarterbacks go down in this league. This is why Cousins has a decent shot of playing some place this year.”

Cousins and the Falcons played nice at mandatory mini-camp earlier this month. It bodes well for the chemistry between him and Penix for the short term, but make no mistake, Cousins would like to be playing somewhere else, and the Falcons would like to get a partial refund on the $100 million guaranteed contract they gave him. 

“It didn't work out in Atlanta -- the Falcons gave him $100 million in guaranteed money as a free agent last offseason and then gave his job to rookie Michael Penix Jr. for the final three games -- but the franchise didn't deal Cousins over the past few months,” Chadiha continued. “That leaves him trying to play the good soldier as a backup until a viable opportunity arises. If history tells us anything, some team will come calling for him sooner or later.”

Cousins has dutifully turned up, however, his trade prospects hinge on him being a safe pair of veteran hands.

Morris and Co. know their futures are attached to the fortunes of their young lefty passer. Letting Penix work things out over the long-haul is the only remedy they have for turning this team into a playoff entity once again.

It may take longer than everyone expected, but Chadiha predicts Cousins finishes the season in another uniform. The Falcons are without their first and fifth-round draft picks in 2025, so getting a return for him in the form of a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick with some salary cap relief would be welcome.