Kirk Cousins Linked to New Franchise
Kirk Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings after six years in last offseason’s QB carousel, deciding to move forward with the Atlanta Falcons. That move has been a massive failure on his part, as Michael Penix Jr. has taken his spot in the starting lineup.
Kirk Cousins Linked to New Franchise
This offseason, unsurprisingly, he has been in the rumor mill as an option for the quarterback-needy teams. However, those destinations vanish from the market with every signed player. The Browns just added Joe Flacco, the Giants acquired Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, the Colts have Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson, and the Raiders will move forward with Geno Smith.
But there seems to be a possible way out of his dilemma. The Steelers would have to call the Falcons instead of waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make his move, according to Albert Breer, SI.com.
“So where could Cousins go? I think Cleveland is a lot less likely now, but not completely impossible. The other team I’d pay attention to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, if Aaron Rodgers decides not to go there.”
The Steelers have been the presumed team for Rodgers, but he has kept them waiting for an entire month. At some point, Pittsburgh might just go in a different direction.
“How he fits there, with the strong personalities in that locker room, and on offense in particular, is a fair question. But you don’t have to squint too hard to envision a marriage of convenience between two sides who, once the dust settles on Rodgers, may need each other.”
Another possibility that has been floating around is Rodgers’ retirement. If he calls it quits, Cousins would be the top option for Pittsburgh.
“And it’s not like there isn’t some level of risk for the Falcons in handling things like this. If they hold on to Cousins into the summer with the idea of trading him, he could decide, with his family now rooted in Atlanta (his wife is from the area), that he’d be less willing to leave in a camp-emergency situation than he might be in the spring. There’s also no guarantee that such an emergency situation arises—those don’t happen every year.”
Cousins struggled early in the year but found his footing a few weeks in, even throwing for 509 yards in a Week 5 game against Tampa Bay. In his first nine games with the Falcons, he produced the usual Kirkian numbers. If he had kept that production up, he would’ve finished the year with 32 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and 4,397 yards, which is pretty much a normal year for him, and his team was 6-3 at that time.
Then, he fell off a cliff. In his last five starts (1-4 record), he registered nine picks and only one score, looking like a totally washed passer.
Cousins told Good Morning Football earlier this offseason, “The Achilles healed well. There was a little bit of trying to get my right ankle back around the Achilles. … Against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow and from there, kinda dealing with that was something I was working through. Just never could really get it to where I wanted it.”
The Saints game was the first of that five-game stretch, and it would explain the downfall.
Regardless, those kind of excuses usually don’t work in the NFL. Playing through an injury is only worth it for the team and the player if the results are good. Trusting the backup a week or two earlier would’ve been the better choice.
That’s what the Falcons ultimately did, handing the keys to rookie Penix Jr. This offseason, the Falcons are in no rush to make a move. They have emphasized they would just keep the four-time Pro Bowler around if nobody matched their asking price.
Cousins has also been linked to the Vikings a few times this offseason. While it would make sense for the Vikings to have an experienced backup behind J.J. McCarthy just in case the first-year starter isn’t ready to carry the team, it is hardly realistic that they would agree to take on Cousins’ contract. Furthermore, why would Cousins waive his no-trade clause to move from one backup job to another? The lateral move just doesn’t feel like a realistic option.
The veteran will turn 37 in August. Barring injuries, the only way for us to see if he can still sling the rock would be in Pittsburgh, where the one remaining starting gig is.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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