NFL insider: Falcons QB Kirk Cousins may waive no-trade clause after draft
The Atlanta Falcons don't appear to be bluffing when it comes to keeping Kirk Cousins as a backup, but that seems unlikely due to his salary cap hit and the value of starting-caliber quarterbacks around the NFL. With the 2025 NFL draft approaching, a handful of teams are still looking for a new QB.
Cousins, 36, has expressed an interest in starting for another team in 2025, but he may have to play ball for that to happen. The Falcons would get nothing out of releasing the veteran quarterback, making a trade the most likely option. However, Cousins has a no-trade clause which he would have to waive in order for Atlanta to make a deal.
A new report from NFL insider Albert Breer suggested Cousins may be willing to waive his no-trade clause after the draft. This would help him avoid going to another team with a rookie quarterback. Cousins reportedly chose to sign in Atlanta over Minnesota because the Vikings told him they planned to draft a quarterback.
"Rather than taking anyone’s word for it, Cousins has already signaled to teams that he would likely want to wait to see what happens over draft weekend before accepting a trade," wrote Breer.
The Falcons kept their plans to draft a QB quiet, which left Cousins feeling blindsided when they selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. So it's understandable that he would want to avoid a similar situation in 2025. Breer went on to say Cousins would be willing to discuss a trade before the draft.
"One thing I have heard Cousins’s camp would be amenable to is working out the particulars of a trade ahead of the draft, on the contingency that a team trading for him not take one in the first round," Breer explained. Of course, that would require working the money and compensation out ahead of time, and a lot can happen between now and the end of April."
Atlanta would ideally wait until after June 1 to move Cousins, but as Breer mentioned, teams could still work out trade terms ahead of time. The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns were mentioned as potential landing spots for Cousins in 2025.
Last season, Cousins helped the Falcons get out to a 6-3 start before going ice-cold over the second half of the season. After throwing 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions over the first nine weeks, Cousins passed for one touchdown and nine interceptions over his next five starts.
The Falcons benched him for Penix in Week 16 and aren't looking back. So while Cousins is likely to be in Atlanta for a little longer, a post-draft trade does seem like a possibility.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins to waive no-trade clause?
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