FLOWERY BRANCH — The awkward saga involving the Falcons and quarterback Kirk Cousins will unfold as the team is set to hold its mandatory minicamp Tuesday through Thursday.
Cousins, who was demoted to backup quarterback last season, reported for the start of the offseason program but has not been seen at open organized team activities.
“Yeah, there’s been days, you know. Kirk’s kind of in and out,” Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “Just getting his own rhythm going. But you know, most of the guys have been here, and we’re kind of … obviously it’s voluntary. So, it’s at those guys’ discretion.”
Michael Penix Jr. has taken over as the starting quarterback.
“I think he knows that it’s him and that he’s got to lead us now,” wide receiver Drake London said. “There is a little bit of a ramp-up in that. But at the same time, Mike is Mike. I still haven’t seen him waver from who he is. That gives us a lot of promise and a lot of hope.”
Penix’s style is popular with the team.
“I appreciate it because he’s just calm,” London said. “Not too many quarterbacks are calm. But him being calm and understanding. … He’s a great dude off the field, and that translates.”
Players are subject to fines for not attending mandatory minicamp, with the amounts increasing per day. For the first day, a player can be fined $14,762, the second day $34,925 and the third day $52,381, according to the collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s not a mandatory fine,” sports business analyst Joel Corry, with CBS Sports, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “The minicamp fine is at the team’s discretion. Or they could tell him ‘stay away. You’ve been excused’ so he doesn’t have to show up.”
Cousins has been a consummate professional over his career, but has expressed to the team and owner Arthur Blank he’d like to be on a team with a chance to start.
“He could just show up and act like the backup they expect him to be if he’s there all year,” said Corry, a former sports agent.
The Falcons have not found a deal to their liking and have maintained that Cousins is their backup quarterback.
With the June 1 salary cap management date passed, here are the options for the team and Cousins heading into mandatory minicamp.
Cousins is in camp as the backup, waiting for his chance
Cousins can come to minicamp and try to start fitting in to his new role as the backup quarterback.
Cousins started his career as a backup quarterback for Washington behind Robert Griffin III in 2012. He became the full-time starter in 2015.
Penix started the final three games of last season and was declared the starter.
Penix was drafted eighth overall a few weeks after the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million.
Cousins is set to count $40 million against the Falcons’ 2025 salary cap, with a base salary of $27.5 million. Those numbers make him easily the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL.
The Falcons also have backup quarterbacks Easton Stick and Emory Jones on the roster.
Cousins is a no-show and receives a fine
Cousins is shrewd at business matters and probably doesn’t want to cough up $104,768 to the league office.
The NFL distributes to charities the money collected from fines.
Cousins has made $294.19 million over his 14-year career, according to Spotrac.com.
The Falcons paid his $10 million bonus over the offseason, which increased his total from the Falcons to $100 million.
There is no clear trade partner with Rodgers going to the Steelers
The trade options for Cousins dried up over the course of free agency and the draft. With Aaron Rodgers set to sign with the Steelers, there is no apparent trade partner.
Cleveland, once thought to be a soft landing spot, has collected four quarterbacks — Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — to go with Deshaun Watson. The New York Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. They then traded up in the draft to select former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
The Titans drafted Cam Ward, and the Jets signed Justin Fields.
The Steelers, who had Wilson and Fields last season, are apparently no longer an option.
If Rodgers had decided to retire, perhaps the Steelers would have met the Falcons’ demands for a trade. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot debunked an ESPN report that the team wants the trading partner to take on $20 million of the salary-cap hit.
“We wouldn’t share specific numbers on it,” Fontenot said about the $20 million report. “That’s not accurate.”
Cousins has a no-trade clause. “(Cousins) does have control on where he goes,” Corry said.
The Saints might not be an option
Saints quarterback Derek Carr, citing a shoulder injury, retired May 10. He was scheduled to make $30 million.
The Saints drafted former Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round (40th overall) of the NFL draft. They also have quarterbacks Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and Hunter Dekkers.
Under first-year coach Kellen Moore, the Saints appear ready to hitch their wagon to the rookie, who also played at Oregon and Texas Tech.
It would be difficult for the Falcons to sell their fan base on trading Cousins to a division foe.
However, Bill Belichick traded Drew Bledsoe to the Bills — within the division — in 2002. Also, the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb — within the division — to Washington near the end of his career.
The post-June 1 option to cut Cousins
Some compared the Cousins situation with Russell Wilson’s plight with the Broncos last offseason.
The Broncos cut Wilson in 2024 and took on the massive salary cap hit of $85 million. They spread the hit over two seasons, $53 million in 2024 and $32 million this year.
As a post-June 1 cut, the Falcons would take on a $40 million salary cap hit. Also, the Falcons still would owe Cousins’ $10 million bonus in 2026.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Falcons could wait longer
The Falcons, who don’t have much leverage, can elect to wait out the market.
It would be in bad taste to say they are waiting for an injury, but that is a viable option.
In 2017, then-Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a knee injury in training camp and was out for the season. Quarterback Jay Cutler had announced his retirement after 10 seasons with the Broncos and the Bears. The Dolphins coaxed him out of retirement with a one-year, $10 million deal.
In the 2024 season, 59 quarterbacks started at least one game in the NFL.
The nuclear option for both
What if Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler who’s set to turn 37 on Aug. 19, were to retire?
Cousins would forfeit the remaining $27.5 million in his fully guaranteed salary, along with the $10 million roster bonus, and the future money in the signing bonus would be in jeopardy.
“The Falcons would love for him to retire,” Corry said. “For one reason, if he retires, they are entitled to get back the pro-rated amount of the signing bonus for 2025, ’26 and ’27. That’s $37.5 million dollars. As they collect money, they get cap relief.”
Cousins would have to be really fed up to retire.
“I don’t see him retiring,” Corry said. “He doesn’t want to be in the position where they would have the right to claw back that amount of money from him.”
Stick, who’ll turn 30 in September, would be the presumptive backup. The former North Dakota signal-caller has played in six NFL games and made four starts since he was drafted in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2019 draft by the Chargers.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect the correct amounts in the event that Cousins retires.
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