Kirk Cousins Makes Surprising Move on Tuesday
Few people in Vikings franchise history have ever been as controversial as long-time starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. The four-time Pro Bowler was a solid football player for the organization, but also came with a hefty price tag.
Kirk Cousins Makes Surprising Move on Tuesday
Ultimately, his tenure in the Twin Cities ended last offseason when he decided to depart and agree to terms with the Atlanta Falcons. They made a serious commitment to the veteran, handing him a four-year contract worth $180 million, with $100 million in guarantees.
Surely, he would be the long-term answer for the Falcons. “Not so fast,” said the franchise, selecting Michael Penix Jr. in the following NFL Draft with the eighth overall pick. Cousins entered the season as the starter but was benched with three games to go after struggling in the previous contests.
Now, the franchise and the passer are stuck because he is too expensive to be the backup, too expensive to be traded, and too expensive to be cut. Trade rumors have been swirling around the 36-year-old, but he has a no-trade clause and will make sure the Falcons don’t send him anywhere he doesn’t want to be to begin with.
Undoubtedly, he would skip the voluntary workouts that started on Tuesday, right? This time, he said “not so fast” and arrived at the facility with all the other players.
Zach Klein, WSB, reported on social media, “Per NFL League source… On this very first day of Falcons voluntary workouts… Quarterback Kirk Cousins is with the team.”
How surprising was that really? Well, even some team members were caught off guard, as Mike Garafolo added, “Falcons QB Kirk Cousins was in the building for the start of offseason workouts today, as Zach Klein posted. Surprised even some in the building. But he’s there, as his immediate future remains to be determined.”
Why is that surprising? Isn’t that his job? The voluntary workouts are, unlike training camp or minicamp, well, voluntary.
Ironically, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said about the pricey backup earlier this month that he didn’t expect him to be there for OTAs. ESPN wrote about that, “Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris said he does not expect quarterback Kirk Cousins to be part of the team’s voluntary offseason program because of a ‘business’ impasse.”
On Monday, the Falcons added veteran backup Easton Stick to the offseason roster. That could’ve been viewed as a signal for an incoming Cousins trade.
The franchise announced the move on their official website, “The Falcons have their starting quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., who was selected by Atlanta with the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s draft, a backup veteran in Kirk Cousins and Emory Jones as third on the depth chart. Stick will join the position room as another depth piece.”
Stick isn’t the caliber of passer that can just threaten Cousins for the QB2 job, but he is a backup plan for the backup spot if Cousins were to be moved at some point.
However, the Falcons need Cousins’ blessing for a trade due to the no-trade clause. The only remaining starting spot is in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have been heavily linked to Aaron Rodgers, but he has yet to make a decision on his future.
On Monday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped some trade nuggets: “Atlanta has asked for any acquiring team to pay $20 million of the $37.5 million worth of guarantees left on Cousins’ contract. To date, no has been willing to do that, and no team is expected to be willing to. But what happens this weekend — and which franchises come out of the draft with or without rookie quarterbacks — could influence how much guaranteed money a team might be willing to absorb on Cousins’ contract.”
And then he linked the Vikings to their ex-signal-caller.
“There is a feeling around the league that a team, whether it is the Vikings or Steelers, might be willing to pay down roughly $10 million. How much any team would be willing to pay also would influence the compensation it gives up. The higher the payment, the lower the draft compensation; the lower the payment, the higher the draft compensation.”
I wrote an entire article last week, arguing that a reunion doesn’t make sense for various reasons from both the player’s and the team’s side.
Until the situation with Cousins in Atlanta is resolved or the Vikings hire another QB2, those talks will continue. He remains in the top three in passing yards and passing touchdowns in franchise history.
This won’t be the last time Cousins appears in the news this offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.