Kirk Cousins reports to work for Falcons, vows to ‘stay ready’ as backup

It’s certainly the best approach for Cousins financially.

The Falcons could have fined Cousins if he didn’t show up for minicamp. The maximum amount of about $100,000 is a relative drop in the bucket for Cousins, whose contract guarantees him $100 million no matter his role. But why forfeit money for three days of the kind of work that Cousins would be doing, anyway, if he weren’t here?

There are also long-term benefits for Cousins to show up and do his job. He flopped last season but Cousins, 36, may yet get another chance here to show that he’s still got it. Being publicly malcontent certainly wouldn’t help his trade market.

Also, it’s not a given that Michael Penix Jr. will be effective in Year 2 for the Falcons after he started just three games in 2024. Penix would have to be truly awful for coach Raheem Morris to go back to Cousins, after the Falcons went all-in on Penix as the future. But Penix suffered four season-ending injuries during college, and Cousins would get the call if Penix is sidelined in the fall.

Cousins acknowledged that he’s had “conversations” with Falcons decision-makers about facilitating a trade to a team that is less settled at quarterback. The chances of that happening before training camp reached near-zero when the Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers last weekend. Every team in the league appears set at quarterback now.

Cousins is in what appears to be an awkward work situation for outsiders. His Falcons teammates and coaches know that he’s not satisfied with his role. However, Cousins said there’s no tension.

“It’s great,” Cousins said. “That really hasn’t changed much in my years in the league, really. We go to work. We’ve got a job to do. We’re all pulling together. That’s what a good quarterback room does.”

For now, Cousins is the most expensive backup in NFL history.

His contract counts $40 million against the Falcons’ salary cap in 2025. Just four players in the league have a higher cap figure. It was an inefficient use of resources for the Falcons to draft Penix No. 8 overall weeks after signing Cousins. Now the team is using more than 14% of its cap for a player who ideally won’t play one official snap.

What’s done is done.

Now, the Falcons are trying to make the most of the mess that they created. Cousins is meeting his contractual obligation. He’s showing up for work and performing whatever on-field role Morris gives him to the best of his ability.

All signs indicate that Cousins is going beyond that. He participated in some of the team’s voluntary offseason workouts. Cousins is mentoring Penix.

“Kirk, he’s always been the same guy from Day One,” Penix said Tuesday. “He always told me since I got in, ‘I’ve got your back.’ I told him I’ve got his back. We support each other and that’s how it’s always going to be.

“We’re teammates. We want this team to win football games.”

The Falcons signed Cousins last year with the expectation that he would lead them to the playoffs. He was mostly good during the team’s 6-3 start. Then the Falcons lost four games in a row with Cousins before winning at Las Vegas, despite his poor performance.

Morris belatedly decided to bench Cousins, who had Achilles surgery in November 2023. For weeks, Cousins had obvious issues with mobility in the pocket on passes and even handing the ball off on outside runs. His decision-making declined, too. Cousins had never been an elite quarterback, but he’d become ineffective.

Cousins said the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 10, an elbow injury and the lack of mobility in his ankle all contributed to his poor play. But he added that “I can’t sit here and blame every mistake I made on” injuries.

Penix got his opportunity and showed enough for the Falcons to designate him as the starter through the offseason. Cousins will have to wait for his chance to start again — here or elsewhere.

The Falcons have no incentive to release him now and absorb a big cap hit. A trade would need to net a package that’s worth more than having a proven (if overpaid) backup QB. Maybe an injury at QB during training camp forces another team to make a good offer to the Falcons.

For now, Cousins is the backup quarterback for the Falcons with a guaranteed salary of $27.5 million for 2025.

“I think the organization would like to not need me (to play), you know?” Cousins said. “But I’ll do the best I can to stay ready.”