Kirk Cousins on a podcast and Jerry Jones giving a fist bump.
Kirk Cousins and Jerry Jones (Photos via Getty Images)A top NFC team has been floated as a potential trade destination for Kirk Cousins in the event that the Atlanta Falcons decide to move on from their $100 million man next year.The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal worth $180 million in free agency, with $100 million guaranteed. Just when it looked like Atlanta had settled on Cousins as their long-term answer at QB, they stunned the world by drafting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 selection.Naturally, some fans and analysts wonder if Atlanta will dump Cousins after just one year. After all, it’d be strange to draft Penix Jr. that early with the idea that he won’t start until after Cousins’ contract expires, when the former will be 28 years of age.K.D. Drummond of USA Today’s Cowboys Wire site looked at possible replacements for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who’s entering the final year of his contract. One of Drummond’s targets for Jerry Jones and company was none other than Cousins:

“Cousins’ contract is huge, they guaranteed $100 million, but that doesn’t make him untradable. In fact, the team could carve out around $2.5 million in space in 2025 were they to deal him next offseason, and then be free of all future obligations.

He’d probably be relatively cheap, compensation wise, and the Cowboys wouldn’t be committing to anything beyond the 2025 season, as that’s the only remaining guaranteed base salary, and it’s a pretty affordable $27.5 million with no roster bonus.”

The Cowboys’ brass has emphasized that they want to extend the soon-to-be 31-year-old Prescott, but it’s also a bit noteworthy that the two sides still haven’t reached an agreement on a new deal as OTAs draw closer.

Hypothetically speaking, a Cousins trade makes sense for Dallas since they’re in win-now mode with the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs in their primes. And though he’s five years older than Prescott, Cousins would cost less money than No. 4.

Kirk Cousins Can Put All The Trade Rumors To Rest

The Falcons may have used a first-round pick on Penix, but ultimately, it all comes down to how Cousins performs in Atlanta.

If he performs at a superstar-like level and the Falcons are in Super Bowl contention, they’ll have no reason to give Penix the starting job. If Cousins doesn’t live up to that hefty contract, however, then the Falcons won’t hesitate to make a switch.

Kirk Cousins, and nobody else, will determine how the long-term QB situation plays out in Georgia.

Wild Scenario Could See The Atlanta Falcons End Up Trading Kirk Cousins, According To NFL Insider

Kirk Cousins throwing a football

Kirk Cousins (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)An NFL insider has suggested that the Atlanta Falcons could end up trading quarterback Kirk Cousins despite their major commitment to him earlier this year.The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year deal worth $180 million in March but surprisingly selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick last month.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has since put it out there that the team could trade Cousins somewhere he wants to go if they don’t win many games in 2024.

“[D]o you play Penix if he’s good enough?” He said on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’. “Then maybe you do … You could theoretically trade cousins to a place he would want to go to the next season and then you have your franchise guy.”

Cousins spent the last six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to two playoff appearances and one playoff win. He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in a win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.

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His deal with the Falcons is reported to have a no-trade clause, which would give him leverage in case the team decides they want to move on from him.

The Falcons Have Named Kirk Cousins As Their Starter For The Near Future

Falcons GM Terry Fontenot has insisted that Kirk Cousins will be the team’s starting QB, with Penix to be groomed for the future.

“Kirk Cousins is our quarterback,” he said after the draft. “We’re very excited about Kirk. We’re very excited about this team. Michael Penix, we’re talking about the future. You look at the future. You look at the big picture. We are very excited about that quarterback room, and again, Kirk is our quarterback. But adding Michael Penix is thinking about the future.”

Head coach Raheem Morris suggested that Atlanta will not get a chance to pick this high again as he expects them to win a significant number of games with Cousins as the lead signal-caller, which is why they decided to take Penix in the first round.