Falcons urged to trade Kirk Cousins for $27.5 million starting reason

The Atlanta Falcons are hurtling toward a season with the most expensive backup quarterback in the NFL.

They set themselves up for this, too. They signed Kirk Cousins to a big deal last offseason and then still drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick.

By the end of the 2024 campaign, Penix had taken over for Cousins, and it was clear the baton had been passed. 

The only problem is that the Falcons couldn't find a way to get rid of Cousins this offseason. They've said the right things about wanting to keep him around and not minding the salary, but it's not ideal.

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Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox broke this down further in a new article out Thursday.

His first point: If the Falcons are able to trade Cousins, it would save $27.5 million in cap space.

Knox goes on to write this: 

"Getting out from under Cousins' contract would, for Atlanta, make sense. The problem is the soon-to-be 37-year-old (August 19) wants to be a starter and has a no-trade clause in his contract. Right now, there simply isn't a clear opening to be had. That could quickly change, though, if an injury occurs or another team's open QB competition goes south. The Falcons should make it clear to 31 other teams that Cousins is available."

Cousins was linked to the Browns very early in the offseason, but that probably won't work anymore given that Cleveland has a whole basketball starting five ready to form out of its QB depth chart.

He's also been linked to the Saints simply because New Orleans doesn't have a surefire quarterback, but given that it looks like a rebuild there, they don't have a lot of incentive to pay Cousins.

It'd likely take a team that plans on making the playoffs, then has a bad QB injury, to open a trade door for Cousins.

If it opens up, as Knox writes, the Falcons have to be ready to walk through.