Invoice Barnwell of ESPN addressed whether or not the Atlanta Falcons may transfer on from veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and begin 2024 first-round draft choose Michael Penix Jr. as quickly as 2025.
“If Cousins agrees to a commerce, it will be straightforward,” Barnwell defined. “Atlanta would truly save $2.5M as a part of that deal, and whereas it will have paid him $62.5M for one 12 months of labor, it would not be on the hook for the remaining $37.5M in ensures. The Falcons would have $37.5M in useless cash on their cap, however we have seen groups grown extra comfy consuming that kind of useless cash in the event that they’re prepared to maneuver on from a quarterback.”
Particularly, the Denver Broncos ate the most important useless cap hit in NFL historical past to half methods with quarterback Russell Wilson in March. Whereas it now appears the working relationship between Wilson and Denver head coach Sean Payton was broken past restore, it is unknown how Cousins will react to Atlanta making Penix the eighth choose of the 2024 draft.
The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M assured again in March. Atlanta can escape that deal after the 2025 season, however Barnwell talked about that “slicing Cousins after 2024 could be harder to swallow” for the group.
“The Falcons could be on the hook for $27.5M assured in 2025 and mainly be paying him to play for the minimal elsewhere, as Russell Wilson is now doing in Pittsburgh,” Barnwell continued. “They might get out of the $10M dedication for 2026, however along with spreading $65M in useless cash over two years, they’d have paid Cousins $90M for one 12 months of soccer as a lame-duck signal-caller.”
Falcons normal supervisor Terry Fontenot insisted in late April he’d be comfy with Penix serving as a backup for “4 or 5 years.” The quarterback, who turned 24 years outdated on Might 8, possible views the scenario in a different way however has little say about his spot on the depth chart this spring.
Fontenot and firm understandably hope Cousins will play properly and wish to stick round by at the least February 2026, however the truth that people reminiscent of Barnwell are already touching upon how Cousins and the Falcons may need a divorce subsequent winter generates extra questions than solutions concerning the membership’s drafting of Penix.
