The Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins parted ways following the 2023 NFL season and he was quick to sign a massive contract with the Atlanta Falcons immediately when free agency opened this offseason.
While the Vikings are looking to J.J. McCarthy to hopefully be their quarterback of the future, the Falcons seemed to be more interested in winning now by being so aggressive in their pursuit of Cousins.
Perhaps Cousins' signing is the biggest reason it was so shocking when Atlanta used the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. when they just invested so heavily in the former Minnesota signal-caller.
The arrival of Penix in Atlanta has raised a lot of questions about what the plan with Cousins might be. Of course, it's great to have a veteran to help a rookie transition to one of the most complicated positions in sports, but then what?
Trading or cutting Kirk Cousins is already being discussed by Falcons fans
Kirk Cousins hasn't even taken a regular-season snap for the Atlanta Falcons and there are already discussions about how the team can move on from the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback without breaking the bank.
Recently, Sports Talk ATL shared an article that looked at the contract the Falcons and Cousins signed and evaluated the positives and negatives of trading or cutting the veteran quarterback at various points in his contract.
$180 million is a lot for a team to attempt to recoup through a trade or outright release. A no-trade clause means that Cousins would need to agree to be traded if a deal is worked out with a quarterback-needy squad. Conversely, the Falcons do have a potential out after three years into his contract that would cause $12.5 million in dead cap.
This has the makings of the type of situation that Green Bay Packers fans saw with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. Of course, Cousins doesn't have the resume of Rodgers but the presence of the veteran will allow the young quarterback a significant amount of time to prepare for action.
In Minnesota, the Vikings didn't put much pressure on Cousins in the form of young competition. Guys like Kellen Mond and Jaren Hall weren't going to challenge him for a starting job, but someone like Penix could have fans clamoring for a change if Cousins falters in Atlanta.
Although Kirk Cousins isn't the Minnesota Vikings' problem, there is still a great amount of respect for his time with the purple and gold. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved without hurting the legacy of "Captain Kirk" too much.