Falcons' Kirk Cousins Contingency Plans Included Danielle Hunter, Christian Wilkins

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer shines a light on how the Atlanta Falcons reached an agreement with quarterback Kirk Cousins - and the options the Falcons turned down.

When the NFL's legal negotiating period opened at noon EST on March 11, Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot waited one minute before making his first phone call.

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the call went to Mike McCartney, who represented free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins.

"It was direct and straightforward," Breer wrote. "They’d be willing to guarantee the first two years of a contract and get well into the $40-million-plus range on average per year. They were open to talking about a third-year guarantee.

"They wanted Cousins and were ready to show it."

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center / Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Breer said the conversation between Fontenot and McCartney lasted 20 minutes and left the agent feeling he was in a good spot.

Later, the Falcons added $10 million of guarantees to the third year of the deal, significantly raising the odds Cousins is Atlanta's starting quarterback for at least the next two seasons.

Elsewhere, McCartney connected his VaynerSports partner, Kyle Dolan, with Falcons negotiator Chris Olsen. They agreed on terms to give Cousins a $2 million Super Bowl incentive in each season, one that excluded the necessity of Cousins winning MVP, which was a clause in his Vikings contract.

There's also a no-trade clause, timing of Year 3 and 4 roster bonuses and the payout of the signing bonus, per Breer.

And so, after two and a half hours of negotiations, the Falcons landed Cousins.

But in the meantime, Atlanta left its options open - and had a contingency plan to go defense-heavy if it missed out on Cousins, starting with former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter and former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

"Fontenot took a call from David Mulugheta, the agent for Wilkins, and a text from Zeke Sandhu, the agent for Hunter, both of whom told him they expected the bidding on their free agents to get to, and probably past, $25 million per year," Breer wrote.

Wilkins netted a four-year, $110 million contract from the Las Vegas Raiders, while Hunter signed a two-year, $49 million deal with the Houston Texans.

Atlanta had been interested in Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, but he'd already agreed to a deal that brought him back to Tampa Bay.

And so, Atlanta went all-in on Cousins and spurned its defense, even shifting its free agency approach thereafter.

"The Falcons pivoted off Hunter and Wilkins, and over to more economical options to add speed to their young core of skill-position players — choosing receivers Darnell Mooney as a free agent and Rondale Moore by trade, to add to former top-10 picks Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson," Breer wrote.

This was ultimately the route chosen by Fontenot, head coach Raheem Morris and others ... but there were extensive talks behind the scenes about quarterback avenues.

"One would include an expensive quarterback such as Cousins or Mayfield," Breer wrote. "The other would have a more economical player at the position, be it a rookie or a vet such as Justin Fields, and more spending on defense, with the potential pursuit of stars such as Hunter and Wilkins."

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In the end, Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, securing its starting quarterback for the foreseeable future - while pivoting away from the defense-heavy approach it took last offseason.