By ALEX RASKIN, US SPORT NEWS EDITOR
Published: 12:23 EDT, 15 August 2025 | Updated: 12:25 EDT, 15 August 2025
Will the Atlanta Falcons put football's highest-paid backup quarterback on the field this preseason or keep him sidelined in hopes of preserving the possibility of a trade?
Falcons coach Raheem Morris has been noncommittal about playing Kirk Cousins after sitting the 36-year-old in the preseason opener. Cousins could take the field Friday night against the Tennessee Titans in the second preseason game, where starter Michael Penix Jr. has already been ruled out.
Morris said earlier this week that Easton Stick and Emory Jones will see most of the snaps under center against the Titans.
Just where that leaves Cousins is a bit murky at the moment. He signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons as he was recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury in March of 2024. The team drafted Penix, his presumed backup, a month later, only to promote the rookie first-round pick over Cousins, who had struggled to return from off-season surgery while going 7-7.
A trade obviously makes sense for both sides.
However, such a deal is complicated by Cousins' $27.5 million base salary for 2025, the $70 million he's owed over 2026 and 2027, and a cap figure that grows from a whopping $40 million this season to $57.5 million in each of the next two.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins watches from the sidelines against the Detroit Lions during the first half of the team's preseason opener earlier this month
One team to keep an eye on could be the Los Angeles Rams, who are dealing with several questions at quarterback.
Starter Matthew Stafford has been battling back issues that have sidelined him for much of training camp, although he plans on testing the injury with a workout on Sunday.
The team has backups Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett, but Cousins could offer a more experienced option if Stafford is required to miss extensive time this season.
Morris was recently asked if playing Cousins in the preseason could get the veteran passer back to his Pro Bowl form of 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
'No, Kirk Cousins' problem last year, when we had to make the change, was turnovers,' Morris told reporters earlier this month. 'All things that I can evaluate within the steady confines of what we're doing right now.
'So, if we feel like we want to get him out there, just to get him some work, and I'm going to definitely compromise with a guy that's been playing the league for that long.
Cousins has been active at practice, where he's been getting second-team reps
Kirk Cousins is behind Michael Penix Jr. (pictured) on the depth chart in Atlanta
'He knows the amount of work he requires. He knows exactly what he needs to be ready. And I'm definitely going to communicate with him, different than with Michael Penix, different than with anybody else on the football team when you're talking about that kind of a vet.
'You're talking about guys with significant experience that I can have that grown-man conversation with, and Kirk definitely fits that bill.'
Cousins has admitted he likely would have reconsidered signing in Atlanta if he knew the team planned to draft Penix, who went 1-2 in three starts last season.
'Certainly, if I had the information around free agency, it certainly would've affected my decision,' Cousins recently told reporters.
'I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high. But I've also learned in 12 years in this league that you're not entitled to anything. It's all about being able to earn your spot and prove yourself.'
LA RamsAtlanta Falcons