Kirk Cousins is set to start under center for the Atlanta Falcons for the rest of the season after Michael Penix Jr. suffered a knee injury, bringing his baffling contract back into focus
06:32 ET, 20 Nov 2025
Kirk Cousins warms up
View 2 Images
Kirk Cousins' $180 million contract has been a millstone holding the Falcons back(Image: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The NFL's most expensive backup quarterback is a starter once more. Kirk Cousins is set to lead the Atlanta Falcons' offense the rest of the way after Michael Penix Jr.'s campaign was curtailed by a knee injury.
Second-year QB Penix has suffered an ACL sprain, the third major knee injury of his career, and NFL Media's Ian Rapoport has revealed that the lefty needs a full reconstruction surgery that is set to sideline him for nine months.
Article continues below
With the Falcons' season on life support at 3-7 after four straight losses, some might consider it a blessing that they have a backup of the caliber of Cousins — a four-time Pro Bowler — to call upon. But the situation also sums up the muddled thinking that has hamstrung the organization, handing out a $180 million contract to a veteran quarterback only to spend a first-round draft pick on Penix a few weeks later.
Article continues below
READ MORE: Commanders share update on $3.8B stadium after bold Donald Trump requestREAD MORE: Buffalo Bills star has baby just days before Thursday Night Football game
Cousins started 14 games last season and but was benched after throwing a league-leading 16 interceptions. Penix has hardly set the world alight since.
The former Washington standout ranks 23rd in the league for passer rating this season, throwing for nine touchdowns and three interceptions as the Falcons trend towards an eighth successive losing season.
The franchise has made matters more difficult by paying top dollar for Cousins to carry a clipboard for most of this season.
Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins
View 2 Images
The peculiar quarterback situation has set the Falcons back(Image: Getty Images)
After receiving a $50 million signing bonus and a $12.5 million salary in 2024, the former Minnesota Vikings star is earning a base salary of $27.5 million this season, and he has a salary cap hit of $40 million.
Those resources could have been invaluable in bolstering the Falcons' roster and providing the team with more talent to contend.
Instead, the franchise tied itself in knots, creating a needlessly complicated environment in the quarterback room and mismanaging the finite resources available within the salary cap.
READ MORE: 4 must start quarterbacks in fantasy football for Week 12, including NFL record-breakerREAD MORE: Justin Fields' New York Jets nightmare could end with Pittsburgh Steelers
Cousins' contract has an out at the end of this season, and it appears certain that he will be released. But the consequences of his signing in 2024 will last into next season, with the Falcons set to swallow $35 million in dead cap if they do cut ties with the 37-year-old at the end of the campaign.
Cousins looked deeply unconvincing when he came in for the injured Penix during Sunday's damaging loss to NFC South rivals the Carolina Panthers. He completed six of 14 passes for 48 yards as the Panthers won in overtime.
Article continues below
The former Washington Redskins star could well muster a strong finish to the season and show why he is one of the highest-earning quarterbacks in NFL history, starting on Sunday against the lowly New Orleans Saints.
But save for an against-the-odds charge into playoff contention, a few good performances could not change the fact that the baffling decision to sign him and draft Penix in the same offseason has set the franchise back.