The Atlanta Falcons are nonetheless holding out hope that they may be capable to commerce Kirk Cousins in some unspecified time in the future, they usually might have one last alternative to take action subsequent month.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180M cope with the Falcons final offseason. The veteran quarterback was due a $10M roster bonus on Saturday, and Atlanta selected to pay Cousins the cash slightly than launch him. That’s as a result of the aim is to commerce Cousins and have one other workforce tackle at the least among the 36-year-old’s contract, which runs through 2027.
Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports activities spoke with a present NFL basic supervisor on Wednesday who mentioned the Falcons “simply cannot” hold Cousins. When requested how seemingly it’s that Atlanta will discover a commerce associate, the GM mentioned the final opportunity could come after the NFL Draft.
“Perhaps (Falcons GM Terry Fontenot) can get a workforce that misses out on a QB to chew earlier than and even after the draft,” the GM informed Schultz. “That is his finest shot — hoping somebody remains to be with out a quarterback when the music stops. However they’re calling everybody proper now that may pay attention.”
Protecting Cousins by way of Saturday was truly cheaper for the Falcons, although they needed to pay a $10M bonus. If Cousins have been launched as a pre-June 1 reduce, Atlanta would take up a $65M useless cap hit. That’s a part of the rationale the workforce is so determined to commerce Cousins slightly than simply chopping him free.
Cousins misplaced his job to Michael Penix Jr. halfway by way of final season. The Falcons may merely hold him and have top-of-the-line backups within the NFL, however Cousins would undoubtedly choose a possibility to begin elsewhere. Maybe a team that has been linked to Cousins will turn into determined sufficient for quarterback assist after the draft.
Cousins completed with 3,508 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions final season. He’s a four-time Professional Bowl choice and has a ton of expertise, however his contract is considered as extremely prohibitive.
