- Kirk Cousins signed a massive four-year contract with the team earlier this year.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is only in his first season with the team, but a pair of NFL reporters have speculated that a trade involving the quarterback could happen at the end of the season.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta in March – including $100 million guaranteed – but the team baffled fans the following month when they selected quarterback Michael Penix No. 8 overall out of Washington.
And with the 6-5 Falcons unsure of making the postseason, ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler believe a quarterback change could be in the cards depending on how the next six games go.
“It remains to be seen how things turn out in Atlanta, but they haven’t gone as well as the Falcons imagined,” Graziano wrote in a ESPN+ column.
And first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. is sitting behind him and is about to turn 25 in May. Could the Falcons make Cousins available in a trade after just one season if they think Penix is ready to go? “He would be an interesting veteran addition for a team that believes it is close.”
Kirk Cousins is only in the first year of a four-year, $180 million contract he signed in March.
He’s played reasonably well, but the team is 6-5 and Michael Penix Jr. is waiting in the wings.
The Falcons selected Penix with the eighth overall pick last spring and he is currently the backup.
Fowler added that the next six weeks “could determine a lot about Cousins’ future” and added that the 36-year-old would have a trade market if Atlanta decided to trade him.
“Fortunately for Atlanta, they don’t have to do anything right now,” Fowler continued. “And Cousins could very well remain in a Falcons uniform if the next six games go well.”
Fowler added that Cousins, if he moves, would prefer to go to a contending team, which would eliminate the quarterback-needy Giants and Raiders.
Cousins has played reasonably well this season, as his 255.2 passing yards per game are fourth among quarterbacks and he has also thrown for 17 touchdowns.
However, he has also thrown nine interceptions, which only five players have surpassed so far.
Cousins has also been held without a touchdown pass in the team’s last two games, both losses.
After the Falcons’ Week 12 bye, they will look to get back on track this weekend against the Chargers.