Falcons Rumor: QB Kirk Cousins to Sign with Atlanta as Free Agent?

Falcons Rumor: QB Kirk Cousins to Sign with Atlanta as Free Agent?

The NFL present for quarterback Kirk Cousins? His Minnesota Vikings season is over as he rehabs from injury and looks forward to being a 2024 free agent.

But his future? ESPN "insiders" have launched a guessing game, with Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler predicting the veteran quarterback will be elsewhere next year.

"Elsewhere," as maybe with the Atlanta Falcons?

“I’ve started asking teams about this, and Atlanta comes up fairly often," claims Fowler. "The Falcons have improved their roster and need a quarterback to bring it all together. … Cousins would find comfort in Atlanta’s talented roster of playmakers, similar to what he had in Minnesota. The chance to win is there."

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We must note: This all sounds like a guess ... and Fowler is essentially admitting that when he says he is "asking teams about this." Because of course, what "other teams think" in the middle of November 2023 about what might unfold in the middle of 2024 seems pretty immaterial to us.

Having said that: Is there logic to the idea?

It would mean giving up on Desmond Ridder as a starter, of course. It would mean reliance on Cousins, who will turn 36 in August ... and it will mean paying him a top-of-the-market deal.

ESPN points out that Atlanta has ample cap space. But that doesn't mean this is the way it should be spent. 

Should Falcons Fire Arthur Smith?

Nor do we know if the Vikings and Cousins want a divorce ... a decision that might be influenced by what newly signed Josh Dobbs does at the position down the stretch.

We do know that Cousins, back when he was negotiating with the Vikings, wanted a longer-term deal than Minny was willing to give - seemingly sensible, given his age.

Indeed, there is so much unknown here - is Arthur Smith still the Falcons coach in 2024? - that this is truly little more than a premature parlor game.

All in all, this is yet another piece that is "more rumor than report," with nothing much to substantiate it. ... leaving it for Falcons fans to debate in bars and barbershops: Are these Falcons suddenly a substantially more viable playoff contender if 36-year-old Kirk Cousins is their quarterback?