Aaron Rodgers Gives Candid Thoughts on Kirk Cousins's Future in NFL

Aaron Rodgers is optimistic Cousins will be better next year.
tlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium.
tlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Kirk Cousins's return from the Achilles injury he suffered in 2023 has not gone smoothly. After starting the 2024 campaign on somewhat solid footing, the Atlanta Falcons' $180 million quarterback's production took a dramatic nosedive over his last five games and the organization is taking the drastic action of replacing him with rookie Michael Penix Jr.

What the future holds for Cousins is unclear. If there's any good news for the Falcons it's that they won't have to make a decision on 2025 for many months and there's a chance Cousins gets a lot healthier over the offseason. Not all injuries are created equal and the ability to rebound from them depends on a myriad of factors. Still, there might be some value in considering Aaron Rodgers's take on the situation—seeing as how he's about to wrap up his first season returning from a similar injury.

Rodgers has played better as the year has gone on and shared on Wednesday that he thinks that may be the case with Cousins as well.

Cousins is 36 years old, five years Rodgers's junior. Again, this is all purely speculation at this point. But Atlanta is understandably looking for some silver linings in a sky full of dark clouds and this perhaps qualifies.


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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.