Since the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall choice of the 2024 NFL Draft, much discussion has centered on whether Penix can unseat seasoned quarterback Kirk Cousins at the top of the team’s depth chart the following season.
ESPN NFL expert Dan Graziano detailed how Atlanta might trade for Cousins in March 2025 in a column that was released on Thursday.
“Cousins is guaranteed $27.5M for 2025, and he has a $10M 2026 roster bonus that becomes fully guaranteed at the start of the 2025 league year this coming March,” Graziano stated. Therefore, $37.5 million would be required of any purchasing team, which is more than fair for a capable starting quarterback in 2025. Without a doubt, teams would be interested in Cousins if the Falcons made him available in the spring of next year.”
Arguably the most strange move of the NFL offseason was the Falcons signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with a $100 million guarantee, less than two months before they selected Penix with such a precious draft asset.
After suffering a torn Achilles tendon in October 2023, Cousins, who turns 36 in August, might be nearing the end of his playing career, but Penix, who turns 25 the following summer, ought to desire to play sooner rather than later.
The Falcons were given -190 odds to make the playoffs as of early Thursday afternoon at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Any team signing Cousins knew that signing him was a “win now” decision, so Atlanta may decide to make the quarterback available if the team doesn’t make the playoffs or ends up being a one-and-done postseason team.
Regarding Cousins’ possible destination, some have already connected him to the Dallas Cowboys, who don’t seem to be close to giving starting quarterback Dak Prescott a contract.
Prescott is in the last year of a contract that has no-tag and no-trade conditions. If the new league year begins in March 2025, it’s thought he could sign a deal that pays him about $60 million each season.
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