Kirk Cousins wants to go somewhere he can start.
The Falcons quarterback made that clear in a one-hour phone conversation with owner Arthur Blank in early March. Cousins expressed the same in face-to-face meetings with coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot.
Morris said this week that if a trade of Kirk Cousins was good for both sides, then the Falcons "certainly would like to see that happen.” The Falcons will listen to trade offers but have made no promises.
“At the end of the day, what happens happens," Blank said, via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com. "Maybe something pre-draft, draft, post-draft, I don’t know, but he understands what our needs are and what we have to do as a franchise.
“I told him we’d be as thoughtful to him as we can be, but we have responsibilities to the franchise. He understood that, but he’s made himself clear as far as his own situation, and I understand that.”
The Falcons signed Cousins to four-year, $180 million deal a year ago to be their starting quarterback. Then, they drafted Michael Penix in the first round, and now, the Falcons insist they are fine if Cousins is their backup quarterback in 2025.
“We’ve already paid him,” Blank said. “I’ve never been a risk-averse type of person. I think the plan [to sign Cousins and draft Penix] was an excellent plan from our standpoint, and from Kirk’s standpoint, he made a wise financial investment.”
Cousins' contract guaranteed him an additional $10 million when he remained on the roster on March 17.
In the end, the Falcons might pay Cousins a lot of money for only 14 starts. Penix became the starter in Week 16, leaving Cousins' future with the team the only question at the position for 2025.
“One of the things you learn as you live life is there is no point in living in the past,” Blank said. “Obviously at the time we made a commitment to Kirk and Kirk did to us, circumstances were extraordinarily different than they are today. Not his fault. Not our fault. Sometimes life doesn’t develop the way you want it to develop.”
