Falcons Keep Kirk Cousins in an Uncomfortable Role Because of His Character
Kirk Cousins’ current dilemma? He’s simply too good of a person. A nice, hardworking, and God-fearing individual who always does the right thing. Cousins’ reputation as a supportive teammate and positive presence in the locker room has made him someone coaches would happily bring back as their starting quarterback, even after parting ways with him. The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings are two teams that would consider a reunion with him because his character adds value to any team.
In fact, Cousins is so well-regarded that even the President of the United States befriended him years ago, and just recently hosted him at the White House.
Cousins Wants Out of Atlanta But this strong character trait is a challenge for Cousins because the Atlanta Falcons appreciate him for exactly that reason. Despite Cousins’ clear unhappiness with his current backup role, the Falcons are comfortable keeping him on the roster in that position, especially considering his $180 million contract, which includes a hefty $27.5 million base salary—an enormous sum for a backup quarterback.
Cousins lost the Falcons’ starting job to Michael Penix Jr. last season, after leading the NFL in touchdown passes, only to fall to the league’s interception leader. Given the circumstances, it made sense for the Falcons to bench him. This offseason, many expected the Falcons to move on from Cousins to free up cap space for future years.
However, the Falcons have remained firm in their decision to keep him, even as a backup. According to general manager Terry Fontenot, the team remains comfortable with Cousins’ situation.
Fontenot Explains the Falcons’ Position Fontenot acknowledged that having a backup quarterback at Cousins’ salary isn’t ideal, but explained that when they gave him that contract, the expectation was that he would be the starter. Now that he’s the backup, the team has already allocated funds for the quarterback position and is content with that arrangement.
Despite this, no one in the NFL seems to agree with the Falcons’ stance, finding it unorthodox. As the free agency period came and went, and with the league year about to begin, the Falcons have stuck to their decision, leaving Cousins in an uncomfortable position.
Cousins has requested a meeting with Falcons owner Arthur Blank to express his desire to play elsewhere, but that meeting was cordial and respectful—qualities that have made it harder for the Falcons to move on from him. Teams tend to keep good, respectful players, and those traits are now working against Cousins.
Cousins’ Only Option to Force a Move If Cousins wants the Falcons to release him, he may need to take more drastic action. He could refuse to participate in any offseason activities, decline to mentor Penix Jr. as he did last season, and even threaten to miss training camp, which would lead to fines. Such actions would likely grab the Falcons’ attention and potentially lead to a breakup, as teams generally don’t like distractions.
However, this approach goes against everything Cousins stands for. His good-natured personality, which has made him a respected figure in the NFL, is ultimately the reason he’s stuck in a situation he dislikes and is costing him the opportunity to start elsewhere.
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