What does Falcons benching Kirk Cousins ​​mean? Breaking down 4 biggest questions – including what’s next for veterans

The headline of the Atlanta Falcons’ latest announcement tended to be increasingly likely.

The subtext on Tuesday night was more surprising.

The Falcons didn’t just let veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​play 14 games after signing him to a deal worth $90 million guaranteed at signing.

They also gave the rookie they drafted eighth overall the keys to the castle — indefinitely.

The Falcons may be focusing on the Giants’ game. But the rest of the league is watching with at least as much interest as to what’s next for Cousins.

Conversations with five league sources spanning the coaching, executive and front-office backgrounds provided Yahoo Sports with context in the hours following the Falcons’ announcement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the competitive advantage of discussing the Falcons’ roster moves.

Here’s a snapshot of the league’s pulse on some of the biggest questions surrounding the move.

Will the Falcons play Cousins ​​again?

Barring an injury to Penix, the answer was a resounding no from all corners of the league. Sources didn’t believe the Falcons would shuffle between quarterbacks or even give Penix a tryout before naming him the starter. Cousins’ recent five-game stretch, with nine interceptions to just one touchdown, helped validate that decision. But the patchwork of reasons includes a play-caller and quarterback struggling to find success together; an Achilles repair hangover that tends to linger the first season after the injury; and a desire to look forward with a healthy runway for Penix rather than focus on sunk cost. A source also mentioned a belief that Cousins ​​would not heartily agree to the decision to fight for his job in December if the team were to make a week-to-week proposal.

League sources unanimously agreed with the Falcons’ decision to switch quarterbacks now that 7-7 Atlanta is a game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South race. What they disagree on: whether signing Cousins ​​was a risk worth taking by the Falcons.

Were the Falcons right to sign Cousins ​​and draft Penix in the same offseason?

It’s easy to say that moving on from a quarterback 14 games in warrants failure. And from a performance standpoint, the Falcons’ move does. From a process point of view? Most teams would rather have more arrows to find a serviceable quarterback if they can afford it, and one source even talked about the benefit Penix and the Falcons could reap by resting him 14 games without the pressure of other draft- committee navigated.

No. 1 pick Caleb Williams has absorbed a league-high 58 sacks with the Chicago Bears, which Penix has learned from the sidelines. New England Patriots rookie QB and no. 3 pick Drake Maye started getting hits later when New England waited to start him until Week 6, but he’s been under pressure nonetheless at 14 dropbacks per snap. – high 213 pressure, per Next Gen Stats.

Waiting to start Penix is ​​a well-regarded decision around the league. Having Penix in-house was more complicated, but also respected. Is Cousins ​​signing an expensive contract right up front? An NFC executive said the Falcons positioned themselves to likely fall victim to criticism of poor process as soon as they signed both. If both quarterbacks failed, much less both, their decision to invest primary capital in both deserved scrutiny.

“They backed themselves into a corner,” the director wrote. “The only way they could look good was for Kirk to play well/get hurt and the kid comes in and plays well.

“If they move Kirk, they still paid him $62.5 million for one year. Drafting the kid early forced them to make this move. If they trade or cut Kirk and he goes somewhere and plays well, they will look bad again. Not a good situation to be in.”

What are the economic implications for Atlanta?

The Falcons owe Cousins ​​$27.5 million guaranteed in 2025. If he is still on their roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year — which falls on March 16, 2025 — they owe him another $10 million at the beginning of 2026 roster bonus, according to a source with knowledge of the contract. Cousins ​​also has a full no-trade clause, giving him plenty of autonomy to determine his 2025 team. It could hurt the Falcons if Cousins ​​follows the same path as Russell Wilson.

After the Denver Broncos released Wilson last March, Wilson signed with (and now starts for) the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he didn’t help the Broncos with the offset language that required them to pay for anything on his contract that wasn’t covered by another team. The Steelers will pay Wilson the veteran minimum of $1.21 million this season. The Broncos will pay him another $37.7 million in 2024. Expect the Falcons to similarly be on the hook for $26.3 of the $27.5 million next year if Cousins ​​plays elsewhere.

In theory, even if a team signs Cousins ​​to a multi-year deal, they could structure it creatively to essentially “borrow” $23.3 million from the Falcons in 2025 over the life of the deal. Even with a rookie contract for Penix, that will stretch the Falcons. A league source believed Cousins ​​would have more leverage on a multi-year deal than Wilson had.

Where will Cousins ​​play in 2025?

Sources from the executive and agent world agreed that it is unrealistic to confidently bet on a result now. Head coach, general manager and quarterback movement continues across at least half a dozen teams. The draft cycle hasn’t really heated up yet. The teams must assess their options. But as they do, Cousins ​​will have an advantage: the relatively limited supply of starting quarterbacks expected to hit the market this year through free agency and the draft.

“Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson are the two starters (heading into free agency) and after that it’s a bunch of guys that have failed,” a source said. “The draft is terrible. The two guys at the top are not first-rounders who will go in the first round simply because there is a need, but they have a lot of holes in their game.”

There will be teams more interested in a veteran with Cousins’ skills and proven resume than the merits of drafting Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. This is not a draft with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and more. It’s possible a team will want Cousins ​​as a bridge quarterback — expect Daniel Jones to fill that role as well after his recent Giants release — to buy time for a good-but-not-great 2025 – prospects.

Cousins’ recent struggles will give some teams pause. But he played well as recently as the first half of this season and has earned four Pro Bowl berths, including as recently as 2022.

Working in his favor will be years of consistency as a solid quarterback and belief across the league that mobility returns more in the second year after Achilles surgery than the first. Teams could also convince themselves that Cousins’ slump was as much about a struggle to play with a new play-caller and weapons as it was about the quarterback’s sheer ability. The right fit for Cousins ​​and his next team matters.

Sources pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and New York Giants as possible places where Cousins ​​could start immediately in 2025. Dark-horse candidates include the San Francisco 49ers, where Cousins ​​could reunite with head coach Kyle Shanahan 12 years after their two overlapping seasons with Washington and the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers are expected to (and should) roll with Brock Purdy in 2025 — but they’re a team with high expectations that likes a strong backup and could, if they wanted to, use Cousins ​​as a pawn in negotiations as Purdy’s window for a megadeal opens this offseason.

Interpersonal dynamics in Minnesota could complicate a reunion so soon after head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah moved on from Cousins. But the league doesn’t miss the irony of the potential football pass a reunion would bring, as Darnold will likely command more than the Vikings want to pay and injured rookie JJ McCarthy’s rehab timeline will leave uncertainty.

Cousins ​​also must decide whether to continue playing into his 14th season at age 37.

If he does? So in the second offseason move, he will be one of the biggest names available on the quarterback market.