The Atlanta Falcons created a quarterback controversy last year when they signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. They started with Cousins, but his poor play forced Penix into action and he was much better. Now, they are looking to move on from Cousins this offseason. Falcons owner Arthur Blank sat down with Cousins and discussed his future with the team. Blank then relayed that information to NFL Network's Steve Wyche at the Owners Meetings.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank explains where things stand between QB Kirk Cousins and the team. Good stuff from the NFL League meetings. From The Insiders on NFL Network. pic.twitter.com/klt1bCyrYq
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) April 2, 2025
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“It could not have been a more cordial and more respectful conversation. I heard everything he said. I understand everything he said. And he also understood where we were as a team and as a franchise.”
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Blank continued, “I think it created clarity about what he hoped for and what his views were and what happened and why it happened, et cetera. So I think we're in a good place, and if he ends up being our backup quarterback, we'll have the best in the National Football League, which is always a good thing. And if we end up making a different decision, we'll move on.”
The Falcons are committed to Penix as their quarterback of the future. Considering he almost got a 6-6 team into the playoffs as a rookie, it is well deserved. But Cousins' contract runs through 2027 and does not have a natural out until after this season. That is why Blank says that the Falcons could have him as their $40 million backup this season.
If the Falcons do move on from Cousins, there are only two natural landing spots left. The Cleveland Browns currently have Kenny Pickett, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have Mason Rudolph as theirs. Aaron Rodgers and Cousins are the two veterans left on the market and could fill both of those roles.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.