Falcons Monitoring Vikings' Ticking Clock to Sign Kirk Cousins

The Minnesota Vikings have a week before free agency to sign Kirk Cousins without facing any financial penalties.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 6, 2024

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons' answer to their quarterback conundrum could be coming in the next week or so.

As a team heavily connected to Minnesota Vikings veteran Kirk Cousins, the Falcons could look to bring the former Pro Bowler to Atlanta.

Cousins, who turns 36 in August, could still sign with the Vikings, but if he does, it will likely happen before free agency officially begins next Wednesday.

Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium / Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

"If the Vikings don't sign Kirk Cousins before March 13, they'll incur $28.5M in dead money from previous restructures on their 2024 salary cap," Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team said.

This could incentivize the Vikings to negotiate a new deal with Cousins, but Minnesota could be looking to start fresh with someone else under center. Minnesota made the playoffs twice in the six seasons of the Cousins era, but after he tore his Achilles midway through the year, the Vikings have reason to look elsewhere for a quarterback.

For a team like the Falcons, who have still managed to put up seven wins in each of the past three seasons despite lackluster quarterback play, signing Cousins to a two- or three-year deal could be worth it.

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Published Mar 6, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.