Falcon Report

Falcons Showing Patience for 'Big Financial Package' in Kirk Cousins Trade: Report

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided another update on quarterback Kirk Cousins after the Atlanta Falcons kept him on their roster Sunday, which triggered a roster bonus.

Dave Holcomb

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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Quarterback Kirk Cousins remains with the Atlanta Falcons. How much longer that will be the case, though, remains to be seen.

It could be for only a short while longer. Or, it could be several more months.

The Falcons kept Cousins on their roster past the 4 pm ET deadline on March 15, which triggered a $10 million roster bonus for 2026. If the Falcons wanted to avoid paying the quarterback anymore money for only 14 starts, the team needed to either trade or release him prior to the deadline.

But Cousins stayed on the Falcons roster despite his pleas through the media and to team owner Arthur Blank in a private meeting before free agency.

Second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sits at the top of the Falcons' depth chart. Cousins is QB2. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler suggested on March 16 Cousins could be in that role until the preseason.

"I continue to hear that the Falcons are not overly motivated to move Kirk Cousins right now," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter, via Bleacher Report's Scott Polacek. "They're willing to be patient. As one team source told me, 'What's the rush? We've already locked into $37.5 million in additional guarantees for 2025 moving forward.' And so, they're going to kind of feel this out. 

"It might be two months, it might be two weeks, it might be six months, they haven't made that sort of firm determination as far as how long it'll be in a Falcons uniform. But the sense I get from teams is that it simply would just take a big financial package, because they need a lot of money to try to offset that $37 million. They need somebody to step in."

The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers remain the most likely potential suitors for Cousins. Fowler didn't discuss the Steelers as a possibility, but he did address the Browns.

"So, Cleveland has scoured the Earth for quarterback help, we know that," Fowler said. "They have familiarity with Kevin Stefanski, the head coach, a former coordinator for Kirk Cousins himself.

"Cleveland is still a team to watch until they fill that void at that spot, but they don't have a lot of money to spend. That's part of the issue."

The Steelers are a possibility because their pursuit of 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers this offseason indicates the organization clearly views itself as a 2025 contender. If Rodgers elects not to sign in Pittsburgh, then the Steelers could prefer to trade for Cousins instead of signing a lower-tiered veteran such as Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh both added quarterbacks during the first week of free agency. Ironically, they were both quarterbacks the Steelers once drafted. The Steelers brought back Mason Rudolph on a two-year contract while the Browns traded for Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles.

But in a perfect world, both Rudolph and Pickett are backup NFL quarterbacks.

If the Browns and Steelers don't express interest in Cousins, then the Falcons could hold onto the veteran until a contender loses a quarterback to injury during training camp or the preseason. In that situation, the Falcons could have a lot of leverage because the contending team will be very desperate to add a veteran signal-caller.

That trade scenario sounds perfect on paper, but it's very different in reality. If Cousins stays on the Falcons roster until August, then things will undoubtably get awkward with the quarterback at mandatory minicamp in May or training camp during July.

But at the moment, the Falcons appear willing to take that risk in hopes of a "big financial package" in return.

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB

Dave is a staff writer at Falcon Report. He also writes at Yardbarker, Southern Pigskin, Cox Media, and Rotowire. Follow him on Twitter @dmholcomb.