Falcons source believes Cousins could have bounce-back season

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins endured a rough stretch of play this past fall coming off the torn Achilles he suffered in October 2023 before he lost his starting job to 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in December. 

While the Falcons reportedly will set Cousins free at some point before the new league year opens on March 12, it appears some within the organization believe the veteran who will turn 37 years old in August could have a bounce-back season with a different club later this year. 

“One Atlanta source said Cousins wasn’t totally right after injuring his Achilles in 2023 when playing with the Vikings,” NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY reported for a piece published Monday. “He was never an overly mobile quarterback. He became even less post-injury. Cousins also used to rely heavily on his base for arm strength. That, too, wasn’t the same. The belief is some of that mobility and a lot of that arm strength will come back this season with Cousins another year removed from the Achilles.”

Cousins helped the Falcons end the first weekend of November with a record of 6-3 before elbow and shoulder issues caused him to have somewhat of a “dead” arm. Atlanta subsequently lost four straight games before the club improved to 7-7, and head coach Raheem Morris turned to Penix for what became the team’s final three games of the campaign. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Cousins ended the season ranked 28th with a 50.4 adjusted QBR and 23rd with an 88.6 passer rating. He and Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished Week 18 with a league-worst 16 interceptions, but Cousins only played in 14 games. 

Cousins hasn’t hidden that he felt betrayed that the Falcons drafted Penix shortly after Atlanta signed the former Minnesota QB1 to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed. That’s noteworthy considering stories have linked Cousins with teams such as the New York Giants, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. 

Any or all of those clubs could spend a first- or second-round choice on a signal-caller in the upcoming player-selection process. It’s unclear how Cousins would feel about entering yet another season with a rookie right underneath him on the depth chart.