NFL insider believes it's 'not an overreaction' Kirk Cousins is one-and-done in Atlanta

Cousins joined the Falcons this offseason after six years in Minnesota

Jun 3, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) is interviewed after Falcons OTA at the Falcons Training facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After six years in purple, Kirk Cousins ditched Minnesota for a new four-year, $180-million deal with the Falcons this offseason. On paper that looks like Atlanta is locked into the Cousins train for at least several seasons, but that may not actually be the case.

Despite inking Cousins to a monster deal a month-and-a-half prior, the Falcons selected former Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft. Taking a quarterback so high in the draft appeared to signal that Cousins’ time in Atlanta would be short-lived. ESPN’s Dan Graziano said Thursday that could be as short as one season.

“With NFL rookie contracts at a maximum of five years in length, the Falcons are going to be under pressure to move to Penix at some point sooner than Cousins would like,” Graziano wrote in an article looking at offseason overreactions.

While outright cutting Cousins is most likely a non-starter with the massive dead cap the Falcons would incur ($65 million next season), a trade could be possible but still expensive. If the Falcons traded Cousins they would be saddled with a $37.5 million dead-cap hit after paying him $62.5 million for the 2024 season.

While that is still a lot of money, Graziano pointed out that the cost is “not prohibitive” if Atlanta believe they have found their quarterback of the future in Penix.