According to Falcons head coach [Raheem Morris](https://www.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2012/01/tampa_bay_fires_head_coach_rah.html), potential [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.pennlive.com/steelers/) quarterback target Kirk Cousins skipped the team’s first day of voluntary OTAs.
That is not a surprise, as Cousins has made it clear he would like to be traded to a team where he could play more instead of being Michael Penix’s backup. However, the Falcons are unwilling to budge on their ask.
Cousins’s contract and Atlanta’s unwillingness to move him unless the team acquires him either eats a lot of money or gives up a real draft pick for them to eat the deal make it seem more unlikely.
“I had some conversations with people this week that led me to believe that Cousins is, at the very least, on the Steelers’ radar if something were to fall through on Rodgers. Cousins has $37.5 million in guarantees between this year and next year. Somebody’s on the hook for that money, whether it’s $4 million, $20 million, whatever it is. But the feeling around the league is that Atlanta has not been willing to budge on this. They haven’t shown a lot of interest in trading Cousins. It would take a hefty price tag for another team to wiggle that out,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said.
Cousins also has a no-trade clause, so if they did trade for Cousins, it would essentially give him the inside track to become their starting quarterback.
Cousins has expressed he would like to leave the Falcons for a new team where he could start this season. Coming off a torn Achilles in 2023, Cousins never fully looked like himself after surgery and a return. Still, the Falcons signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract that made him a highly compensated quarterback.
In his one season with the Falcons, he threw for 3508 yards with 18 touchdowns and a league-leading 16 interceptions in just 14 starts.