This offseason the Minnesota Vikings made a franchise-changing decision when they moved on from quarterback Kirk Cousins. In his place, they signed Sam Darnold, as a short-term bridge to the future, and drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy No. 10 overall in April.
Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins signed with the the Atlanta Falcons for a boatload of money. Then, before he even got comfortable around his new facilities, they picked his replacement Michael Penix Jr at No. 8 overall a month later. That put an immediate clock on the veteran’s timeline, and now… the trade deadline is right around the corner.
Are the Atlanta Falcons moving Kirk Cousins?
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there isn’t any steam moving right now, on Cousins. But Fowler says he is making an “educated assumption” when he says that the 4-3 Falcons won’t wait to move from Cousins to Penix, especially if they don’t start winning more.
“If we’re aiming above the line of expected candidates and straight for the surprise bin, I’ll start with Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins as a trade candidate. To be clear: There is nothing moving here. The Falcons appear perfectly happy with Cousins, who is third in the NFL with 1,830 passing yards. But we can take information given to us and make educated assumptions. When I’ve asked people around the league whether they expect the Falcons to show restraint and sit Michael Penix Jr. for multiple years, the majority responded that they do not.
The logic is simple: First-rounders play and play early, barring a few exceptions. Perhaps the Falcons can emulate the Packers’ way of quarterbacking and play Cousins at least through his two years of guarantees at $90 million, which would be the prudent thing to do. But that leads me to what coach Raheem Morris told me this offseason: “When do you transition to a new quarterback? When he can’t win.” He, being the current quarterback. So how Atlanta finishes the season could play a part.”
Jeremy Fowler on a Kirk Cousins trade (ESPN)
Related: Former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Had a Really Tough Sunday in Atlanta
Cousins being moved prior to the trade deadline seems unlikely. Then again it was very unlikely the Falcons would use their No. 8 overall pick on a quarterback, after paying Cousins $150 million. Lucky for Atlanta, they’re still tied atop the NFC South.
Kirk needs to find some more wins in Atlanta… and soon
Cousins was brought in by the Atlanta Falcons to win. Michael Penix was drafted to be their future. This is on Kirk. If he wants the whispers surrounding his trade block status to go away, he needs to win more games and take a stranglehold on one of the weakest divisions in football.
KIRKO. FALCONS. WHAT A NIGHT pic.twitter.com/NHNfy0yxYT
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
The more Kirk Cousins and the Falcons struggle to assert themselves in the division, the more likely it becomes that Arthur Blank & Co cut ties and move on. Remember, just one season ago, Kirk was on the way to one of the most prolific passing starts in Vikings history.
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Some were even whispering about a possible MVP, if that continued and the Vikings made the playoffs. Unfortunately, between his new team and repaired achilles tendon, his career in Atlanta is off to a very slow start… and now his job is very much in jeopardy. If not today… then certainly this offseason.
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