Florio expounds on Cousins reporting, cites conversation between wives
Mike Florio has expanded on his cryptic report late Monday when he cited "very credible indications" that Kirk Cousins is preparing for a move to Atlanta.
The Pro Football Talk host was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday and dove deeper into the speculation linking Cousins with a move to Atlanta.
"I mean, you got things coming back to me, I confirm from people who would know, that there's an effort to, maybe, look for schools for the kids, house for the family," Florio told McAfee. "Up to and including, haven't confirmed this part yet but it's just one of those little things that makes sense, talking to the guy who currently wears No. 8, Kyle Pitts, about getting No. 8 before any of this stuff is done."
While all of those details could be put aside as a free agent doing his due diligence before making his decision, Florio backs it up with more steam he's picked up over the previous month.
"Friday before the Super Bowl, Kirk Cousins was on PFT Live," he continued. "After we interviewed Kirk Cousins and K.J. Osborn together – you talk to people ahead of time, talk to people afterward – my wife is talking to Julie Cousins and I'm hanging around for some of the conversation and I pick some things up in that conversation. I come away from all of it thinking it's Minnesota or it's Atlanta. She's from the area, her parents live there. It's Minnesota or it's Atlanta."
That would track with just about every report from the past month. Cousins' top two destinations from the outset have widely been thought to be the Vikings or Falcons. Both teams run similar offenses. Cousins has been with the Vikings for the previous six seasons while the Cousins' have family in the Atlanta area.
"I got the sense – and I don't think I'm talking out of school here – I got the sense that maybe there was a little frustration that, you know, the Vikings have had a long time to try to work out a deal with Kirk," Florio continued. "You get to a certain point where you F around and find out and you let it go too far down the tracks. And even if the Vikings will say 'Oh, oh the Falcons are paying you that we'll match it.' There's a chance they're going to say 'Sorry, you had your chance. They're showing us love. You're just showing a begrudging willingness to match what we were able to get from somebody who really wants us. So we're going to go to the place that really wants us.' They're risking that, the Vikings are risking that in not getting this done when they had the exclusive ability to do it. Pretty soon they don't."
